Kevin Magnussen is pleased with the adjustments worth more than 70 million euros that have recently been made to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. According to the Haas driver, the changes bring “greater risks” for Formula 1, in the positive sense of the word.
In an effort to improve safety and bring motorsport back to the track, the iconic track in the Belgian Ardennes has undergone a major overhaul. At Raidillon, the crash barriers have been re-polished and new asphalt has been laid in five bends. The biggest adjustment, however, is that the run-off lanes in four corners have been replaced by gravel pits, including at Eau Rouge and Raidillon. This means drivers may need to change their approach as a small mistake in the fast corner combination could now immediately end qualifying or the race.
riskier
Asked how he will approach Eau Rouge now, Magnussen said: “I think it’s good to have gravel instead of asphalt run-offs because I feel it’s safer in certain ways and it makes it easier in terms of track limits. It makes it easier and also a bit more challenging, because pushing the limits is now more risky. I think that’s a good thing.”
Update package
Team principal Guenther Steiner has further confirmed that the upgrade package for the VF-22 introduced in Hungary will be on both cars in Belgium. In the last race before the summer break, only Magnussen drove with the package. “We had one package ready for the summer break so we put it on the car to collect data,” Steiner said. “When we come back we will have that data and now we can get started with the set-up so that we can start immediately in Spa.”
