Feeder Series Preview: Spa-Francorchamps
- DIVEBOMB Motorsport
- Jul 24, 2025
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 25, 2025
Written by Jasmin Low and Trisha Lynnette, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Both Formula 2 and Formula 3 return after three weeks off, this time in the vicinity of the dense Ardennes landscape. The scene of action this weekend - the mighty Spa-Francorchamps. DIVEBOMB takes you through everything you need to know for this weekend’s racing action.
Formula 2
After a short hiatus, the Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps will play host to the ninth round of the 2025 Formula 2 championship. At 4.352 miles (7.005 km), the Belgian circuit is the longest track on the 14-round calendar. Although celebrated by many for its old-school feel, Spa will be part of a rotational calendar, missing out on hosting a Grand Prix in 2028 and 2030.
Saturday’s proceedings consist of an 18-lap Sprint Race, while Sunday’s main event is now increased to 25 laps. The F2 lap record around the track is held by Nyck De Vries, who set a time of 1:56.054 in 2018.
Spa is revered for its challenging layout, featuring a long main straight and 19 corners varying between tight chicanes and sweeping elevation changes. The circuit is home to what is perhaps the most iconic sequence of corners on the calendar: Eau Rouge. The section takes drivers left, right, and then uphill through the high-speed elevation change known as Raidillon.
The customary two DRS Zones will be available to aid overtaking, one along the start/finish straight leading into La Source, and the other through the Kemmel Straight, which allows drivers to close in on the cars ahead before heading into Les Combes.
The Bus Stop chicane is another crucial overtaking opportunity, as drivers shed significant amounts of speed in order to navigate the tight right-left sequence. This final heavy braking zone opens up the possibility for overtaking manoeuvres, with drivers carefully placing their cars in order to ensure a clean exit onto the start-finish straight.
Last year’s proceedings proved that overtaking around Spa is no easy feat, placing high importance on a strong qualifying position. That being said, Kimi Antonelli was awarded the best overtaking manoeuvre of 2024 for his daring move around the outside of Franco Colapinto through Eau Rouge. Importantly, those inside the top 10 can take advantage of the reverse grid during the Sprint Race.
Overtaking in the wet adds an additional layer of challenge at any circuit, and with a definite chance of rain impacting all three days of on-track action, confidence and finesse will be the key to a strong qualifying and to making moves in the Sprint and Feature races.
In 2024, Paul Aron beat Gabriel Bortoleto to the all-important pole position, recording a fastest time of 1:56.959. The Estonian drove eventual podium-sitter Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber during Formula 1 Free Practice in Silverstone, alongside Bortoleto, who piloted the second Sauber machine. The Brazilian ended up 0.186s off of Aron’s pole lap, with Isack Hadjar a further 0.2 back.
The famously temperamental weather was on full display for the Sprint, delaying the race start. Zak O’Sullivan went on to win from reverse-grid pole, proving the importance of qualifying within the all-important top ten.
However, by Lap 7, the rain had undoubtedly gotten heavier, forcing a red flag and bringing the race to an early end. Since less than 50% of the race distance had been reached, only the top five scored points.
Come Sunday, Isack Hadjar claimed his fourth victory of the season, followed by Gabriel Bortoleto, with Jak Crawford rounding out the top three. There was no rest for Safety Car driver Bernd Mayländer, whose services were summoned after Oliver Bearman, Pepe Martí, and Franco Colapinto all retired on lap 1.
As soon as racing conditions resumed, an incident between Rafael Villagómez and Victor Martins prompted a second Safety Car period. Despite maintaining the lead through both restarts, Hadjar soon made his way past Aron to take the race lead. Fortune did not favour the Hitech driver, whose race ended in heartbreak after coming to a halt on the Kemmel Straight.
The Campos man’s balanced all-round setup proved useful during the race, compared to higher-downforce setups which sacrifice speed in a straight-line to increase cornering efficiency.
The Championship
In 2025, Richard Verschoor leads the championship on 122 points, looking to extend the championship lead. The Dutchman finished third during last year’s Sprint Race and will look to leverage his experience over the rest of the field this weekend.
Crawford, who also experienced success at the circuit last year, will also be on the hunt for a podium, sitting just eight points shy of the championship lead. Alex Dunne is eight points further back with 108 points, completing a close top three.
Campos Racing continues to lead the charge in the Teams’ Championship with 153 points. DAMS, with their total of 142 points, lie just one ahead of Hitech who round out the top three.
In other news, AIX recently revealed that Emerson Fittipaldi Jr will be representing the team in their 2026 Formula 2 campaign.
Formula 3
The FIA Formula 3 Championship travels to the stunning Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium for Round 8 of the 2025 campaign, with on-track activity taking place from July 25th to July 27th. One of the world's greatest circuits in the opinion of most, Spa is a drivers' dream: its intimidating mix of fast corners, sweeping altitude changes and changing weather conditions regularly produces some of the most unpredictable racing of the year.
Spa-Francorchamps, at 4.352 mi (7.004 km), is the longest on the schedule, and it tests every facet of car and driver ability. The iconic combination of Eau Rouge and Raidillon requires bravery and accuracy, while Pouhon and Blanchimont high-speed corners test the aerodynamic adhesion of the cars to its maximum.
Equilibrium between low drag to accelerate down the long Kemmel Straight and sufficient downforce to sustain speed through Spa's fast middle sector is paramount to a competitive car.
Tyre management is ever the prime consideration at Spa, particularly with the circuit's mix of rapid corners and sweeping straights. For this event, Pirelli has supplied the Medium compound.
Drivers and teams will need to work hard to control tyre temperatures through the demanding middle sector where lateral loads cause graining. The long straights afterwards allow for tyres to cool down, but again the worry is not about overheating the rubber during a stint too quickly.
The other perennial threat to Spa is the weather. The Ardennes can be notoriously unpredictable, and even a shower lasting a few minutes can totally transform a race. Scattered showers are predicted for the weekend, but no heavy prolonged rain.
This leaves teams on high alert for quick-changing track conditions, and having to make snap decisions on tyre strategy and car set-up to remain competitive if the weather sets in.
Taking a look at the championship landscape, the 2025 F3 season is as close as it ever has been. Rafael Câmara of Trident still tops the Drivers' Championship due to a run of points-hauling finishes, although he has only climbed onto the podium once since the initial rounds.
MP Motorsport's Tim Tramnitz is hot on the heels after outscoring Câmara in three of the previous four Feature Races, and Campos Racing driver Nikola Tsolov is also just behind, as a result of his steady points-scoring efforts.
Subsequent to the top trio, there are a series of young stars striving to make their mark. Hitech TGR's Martinius Stenshorne, who has already got his victory party this year, will be worth watching at Spa, as will MP Motorsport's Alessandro Giusti and ART Grand Prix's Tuukka Taponen.
Freddie Slater re-joins the Hitech TGR roster for his second weekend in Formula 3 after impressing earlier this year; the high-speed nature of Spa might play into his attacking style of driving, following on from when he claimed a Sprint Race podium on debut in Sakhir.
Campos Racing, currently top of the Teams' Championship, have been in good form lately, with ten podiums, four of them wins. They have gained a narrow lead over Trident and MP Motorsport with consistency from both their drivers, but with four rounds to go, all is still to play for.
The first qualifying session on Friday afternoon (14:00 CEST / 13:00 BST) will be especially crucial. Spa is a track where overtaking opportunities exist due to the long straights, but holding position near the front of the grid is still important, considering that rain is possible during the races. The Sprint Race will be held on Saturday at 09:15 local time (07:15 GMT), and the Feature Race on Sunday at 08:30 local time (06:30 GMT).
With the extensive championship remaining nicely in the balance, Round 8 at Spa guarantees to deliver another Formula 3 weekend of old-school intensity. Long straights, tight corners and unpredictability of the weather make it a perfect battleground for tight racing and tactical risks.
Qualifying, tyre management and quick reaction to changing conditions will probably be the keys to success.
Look forward to thrilling wheel-to-wheel action as these up-and-coming drivers take their Dallara F3 2025 cars to the limit around one of the sport's most revered circuits. Spa has a habit of producing memories that last a lifetime, and this year is no different.
Be sure to tune in to each session live – and if you miss some of the action, return to DIVEBOMB or the official F3 channels for all the action from what is set to be another exciting installment in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship.
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