25/07/2025 15:00
Pierre Gasly has highlighted how his feelings about the
Spa-Francorchamps Circuit have changed in recent years. The track,
which is the host of the Belgian Grand Prix, is a favourite among
F1 drivers for its high-speed corners and deep history with the
sport. However, it was also the scene of tragedy in 2019 as in the
early stages of a Formula 2 race, Anthoine Hubert lost his life in
a high-speed accident. Hubert was a close friend of Gasly's,
meaning every return to Spa brings back painful memories for him,
having originally enjoyed his early-career visits to the circuit.
"It's a beautiful track," Gasly told media including RacingNews365
. "It's always been one of my favourites. I had my first
single-seater victory here in Formula 4. "I always looked forward
to coming here for all these years, and since 2019, it's something
that has changed drastically in this feeling and the emotions I get
coming here. "It's always a very strange one. You can't really
describe between the excitement of being on the track and the
memories that come with it. "But at the end of the day, I just try
to use this as extra strength and get some more power and strength
out of it." Pierre Gasly expects Eau Rouge challenge to return in
2026 One of the most iconic corners in the world is located at Spa,
with the Raidillian/Eau Rouge complex forming Turns 3 to 5 at the
track. However, it has been the location of dangerous crashes in
the past - including Hubert's fatal accident. While Gasly outlined
the downforce of modern F1 cars eliminates the majority of the
corner's intimidation, he expects the 2026 challengers under new
technical regulations will bring back the challenge of the corner.
"I think over the years, the corner has changed in the fact that,
with this year's car in the dry, people are very impressed - but
it's very easy," he said. "When it comes to the wet, then it
becomes one of the most challenging corners of the season. "It
depends on the conditions at that moment. Considering next year's
regulations, [with] a loss of downforce, then it's probably going
to become a very tricky corner. "It's depending on that fine line
between making it very easy, where you don't necessarily need a lot
of runoff because I could do it with one hand and be fine, or being
on the wet and going through there at 300 km/h and there is a very
[big] likelihood that you can lose the car and have a big
incident."
