Karun Chandhok: The fastest racing line through Eau Rouge

Just the name Eau Rouge is enough to evoke strong emotions in a racing driver. As you come out of the La Source hairpin, it’s hard to appreciate on television just how steeply you actually descend before hitting the sharp climb up to the top of Raidillon. The key to getting the line right is choosing when to transition the weight transfer from the left kink at the bottom to the right-hander, using the minimum amount of steering input so you don’t scrub off any more speed on top of what you lose with the inclination.

The first time I went to Spa was in Formula 3 and while in the dry it was already comfortably flat out, in the wet, which it often is, it was much more of a challenge. Back then, the circuit had gravel alongside the edge of the track and if I’m being honest, a big part of the challenge of Eau Rouge has been taken away with all these asphalt run-offs.

In F1, it’s no longer a corner the drivers think about in the dry, but in terms of racing behind other cars, it’s crucial to get right. I remember winning there in 2007 in GP2 – choosing to stay flat through Eau Rouge while fighting the dirty air behind Andy Soucek was crucial to me overtaking him for the victory. In a GT car or track-day car, it’s a bigger challenge and the drivers need to think about carrying the speed through there but also getting back to full throttle as early as possible as the straight all the way to Les Combes is long and uphill.