The Belgian Grand Prix is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship.
The first national race of Belgium was held in 1925 at the Spa region's race course, an area of the country that had been associated with motor sport since the very early years of racing. To accommodate Grand Prix motor racing, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps race course was built in 1921 but until 1924 it was used only for motorcycle racing. After the 1923 success of the new 24 hours of Le Mans in France, the Spa 24 Hours, a similar 24-hour endurance race, was run at the Spa track.
Antonio Ascari, winner Belgian Grand Prix, 1925
The 8.7-mile Spa-Francorchamps, used from 1946 to 1970
The 9-mile Spa-Francorchamps, used from 1925 to 1939
Spa is a city and municipality of Wallonia in the province of Liège, Belgium, whose name became an eponym for mineral baths with supposed curative properties. It is in a valley in the Ardennes mountains 35 km (22 mi) south-east of Liège and 45 km (28 mi) south-west of Aachen. In 2006, Spa had a population of 10,543 and an area of 39.85 km2 (15.39 sq mi), giving a population density of 265/km2 (690/sq mi).
The Casino of Spa
View of Spa in 1647, engraving by Matthäus Merian the Elder
Print of Spa, c. 1895
Kaiser Wilhelm II and his staff at Villa du Neubois in Spa in 1918