Countdown to Spa.

by Ross Mooney

As the F1 circus leaves Hungary in Eastern Europe, the build up begins to F1's eagerly awaited return to the great Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium this weekend.

Highly regarded across the motorsport world as one of the great circuits, it is held with the same esteem as tracks like the old Nurburgring of Germany and Monza before the alterations. However what makes the 2004 Belgium Grand Prix at Spa so fervently anticipated is that it was absent from the Formula One calendar in 2003.

The primary reason for its one-year absence was tobacco sponsorship bans in Europe. With tighter laws being implemented regarding tobacco advertising in E.U. countries, it was not financially viable for the Belgium Grand Prix to be held in 2003 because its main sponsor is Gauloise tobacco, and the Belgian government had decided to bring forward its implementation of the ban. It was a bleaker side to Formula One in 2003, which has seen the Canadian and San Marino Grand Prix come under threat with the increased interest in Formula One in the East. This has seen the addition of two new Grand Prix to the 2004 calendar in Shanghai and Bahrain (both in the East).

The reason why we are seeing the introduction of Grand Prix in countries farther abroad than the common European territory is the more liberal tobacco advertising laws present outside of Europe.

Indeed, currently no European GP is truly safe from being axed off the F1 calendar for 2005. As is commonly known F1 is the pinnacle and elite discipline of motorsport, which also means it is financially the most lucrative discipline.

This means that naturally Formula One traditionally moves to where lucrative markets can be capitalised upon, which is why Bernie Ecclestone has set his sights on the bright sun of the East...

While Spa-Francorchamps was dropped from the calendar last year, F1 fans could not help but miss what is regarded as the last real "original racers'" circuit. This combined with vocal protests from both fans and drivers ensured that genuine and concerted efforts were made to resolve the financial issues of the Belgium Grand Prix and thankfully see its much welcomed return to Formula One for 2004.

This means that we are once again at that point of the year where we approach one of the best race weekends of the season. Although the Constructors Championship is in the bag for Ferrari and the driver's title is all but secured for Michael Schumacher (the German only needs to finish two points ahead of team-mate Rubens Barrichello to lift the title), there is little doubt that it will be an uneventful weekend.

Teams such as Williams, McLaren and Renault will be keen to put in a good performance at the weekend and pick up valuable points.

If there is any circuit in Formula one that will put both the drivers and cars ability to the ultimate test it is Spa, with a mouth watering combination of long high speed straights and slow and tight hairpins and chicanes. Spa is also home to one of the most famous and fastest corners in racing: Eau Rouge. It is a long left-right-left sequence where you accelerate downhill into the corner and rise up through a very quick left-right combination.

Recently drivers have come under criticism with many believing Eau Rouge is far easier today than in the days of Mansell and Senna because of improved car technology. In response to this belief Fernando Alonso has commented that, "I hope people don't think it's easy. Finding the handling 'sweet spot' isn't just a case of achieving the correct aero balance, as the dramatic elevation changes in the corner have severe effects on the suspension. The left-hand part generates a lot of suspension compression, and the car goes light in the final part."

One thing that is not up for debate however is that come Sunday afternoon when the red lights go out, twenty race drivers will go up against each other in a race, which for most drivers on the grid is the highlight of the year and indeed their driving career.