FIA WEC SPA FRANCORCHAMPS CIRCUIT 2023: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Avis is a Premium Partner of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) which visits the legendary Spa-Francorchamps Circuit in Belgium for the third race of the 2023 endurance motor racing season. 

Take time to explore and enjoy a road trip to the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit on one of the best drives in Europe through the beautiful hills of the wooded Belgian Ardennes region. If you are renting from Avis Liege, the drive along the undulating E42 motorway and out in the Belgian countryside to reach Spa-Francorchamps, will take you around 50min, or see our other locations at Avis Belgium. 

The nearest airports to Spa-Fracorchamps Circuit with Avis vehicle rental are Brussels Airport (BRU) or Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), both 140km from Spa.

When is WEC Spa-Francorchamps 2023?  

The European leg of the FIA World Endurance Championship starts in the sunny Algarve at Portimão, Portugal before reaching the stunning Spa-Francorchamps Circuit on 29 April.

Spa-Francorchamps is the third race in the 2023 FIA WEC which began in Sebring, USA on 11 March.  

How many hours is the Spa-Francorchamps FIA WEC race?  

The Spa-Francorchamps FIA WEC race is run over six hours and it’s the final build-up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Where is the Spa-Francorchamps race track? 
The action in the FIA World Endurance Championship comes to the Belgian Ardennes region and the world-famous Spa-Francorchamps Circuit. The circuit is in a heavily wooded area to the southeast of the small town of Spa which is famous for its iron-rich thermal waters and health spa resort.  

What’s the Spa-Francorchamps circuit like?
More often known simply as Spa, the motor racing circuit at Spa-Francorchamps, is the Circuit of Spa-Francorchamps (Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps). The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is one of the world's most beautiful motor racing circuits. It is one of the oldest of the world’s top motor racing circuits on the motor racing calendar, built in 1920 and designed by Jules de Thier and Henri Langlois Van Ophem.

Originally the track used public roads but the circuit itself was designed for speed with the aim of recording the fastest times. The FIA WEC at Spa-Francorchamps runs over an undulating 7 kilometres with 20 turns and the highest elevation on the WEC series of 100 metres separating its lowest and highest points.

In the pitlane 
The driver changeover is one of the most exciting and crucial aspects of FIA WEC racing. There are 42 pit garages in the endurance pit lane at Spa-Francorchamps. 

Spa Francorchamps lap record
01:46,286 by Valtteri Bottas (F1), Mercedes, 2018 

Highlight of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit? 
The Eau Rouge complex featuring the rapid left (Eau Rouge) bend into the right hand Raidillon bend on an incline of 17%. 

Spa-Francorchamps is one of the greatest motor racing circuits in the world, known as one of the fastest and most challenging for drivers in both F1 and endurance motor racing. Work began in October 2022 on a new grandstand by the endurance pitlane. This will give far-reaching views with 4100 seats in the grandstand plus 3100 in the terraces and giving a total of 16,000 seats around the circuit.  

For those who enjoy the outdoor life, camping at Spa Francorchamps in the stunning wooded areas around the circuit is on the bucket lists of many fans or there are luxury international hotels in nearby Spa itself.

Where is Spa? 
Spa is a stunning town in the beautiful Ardennes region of Belgium. It is famous for its thermal baths and spa treatments. It is 113km south east of Brussels. 

Where is the racing circuit at Spa-Francorchamps? 
The racetrack at Spa-Francorchamps, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is 25 mins (30km) from the spa town of Spa. It is 7.1 km south of the E42 motorway, via the exit at Malmedy. 

Spa Francorchamps weather
The climate at Spa is as challenging for spectators as drivers and crews. The weather at Spa Francorchamps is notoriously changeable so pack for all conditions – it snowed during the 2019 WEC race. As the Ardennes are at a higher altitude than the rest of Belgium, winters can be colder and summers prone to thunderstorms.

How do you get to the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit? 
To get to the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit (Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps) in Spa, Belgium, the nearest Avis car rental location is located at Avis Liege (65km), or for other locations the team at Avis Belgium will look forward to welcoming you. 

Which airport is closest to the event? 
Nearest airports to Spa-Fracorchamps Circuit with Avis vehicle rental are: Brussels Airport (BRU) or Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), both 140km from Spa. 

If you are watching the FIA World Endurance Championships race at Spa-Francorchamps on TV and plan to visit another time, there is plenty going on at Spa-Francorchamps circuit (Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps). There are a range of activities from individual track introduction sessions, to public driving experiences, guided tours and a driving school where you can enjoy a full range of exciting driver experience days and get behind the wheel with experts for racing fans as well as corporate packages. 

Getting tickets

Buy your Spa-Francorchamps tickets.

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit hosts the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and held its first Grand Prix nearly 100 years ago, way back in 1925. 

The opening race at Spa-Francorchamps circuit was set to take place in August 1921 but was postponed when only one driver entered. 

The first Formula 1 season was held in 1950 with the legendary Juan Fangio winning the Spa-Francorchamps F1 race that year by 14 seconds. 

Dutch F1 Champion Max Verstappen has a local connection – he was born in Belgium and his mother Sophie Kumpen has twice been Belgium karting champion. 

There’ll be plenty of local support in force for Iron Dames driver Sarah Bovy who was born in Brussels. 

Michael Schumacher holds the record for the most victories at Spa-Francorchamps with six wins in the Belgian Grand Prix. 

Britain’s Lewis Hamilton holds the lap record (1min 41s 252 in 2020).

• The chance to win FIA World Endurance Championships tickets! Avis Preferred members get the chance to win a pair of tickets (plus parking) for the races at Portimão and Spa-Francorchamps. To enter, all you’ll need is your membership number. 
• Priority service with every rental – Avoid unnecessary waiting with pre-filled documents and dedicated Avis Preferred counters
• Earn free upgrades and exclusive discounts
• The Avis app – Get the full Avis app experience, including changing or upgrading your rental enroute to a rental location and being able to choose the exact make and model of vehicle you want.