Spa tyre strategies often heroic or disastrous - Lowe

Williams' Paddy Lowe knows all too well how the heavens can impact a typical Belgian GP at Spa, and how they can wreak havoc on tyre strategies.

With all its glory and splendour, its elevation changes and high-speed corners, Spa is a challenging venue to master, let alone to deal with when the rain sets in.

As the longest circuit on the F1 schedule, with a length of 7.004km, optimal timing is required with regard to tyre changes, but even more so when it's wet.

"The weather in the Ardennes is notoriously tricky and can change from sun to rain and back again in a matter of minutes," says Lowe.

"The very long lap makes the timing of tyre changes from wet to dry, or back again, either look particularly heroic or disastrous.

"For Williams, this track should play to the strengths of the FW40 car. Felipe is very experienced at Spa and Lance has also won the race here in F3, so we look forward to getting the very best from this weekend."

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As most of his colleagues, Lowe is particularly fond of the daunting Spa-Francorchamps layout whihc includes many potential flash points.

"Spa is one of the greatest tracks on earth, in my opinion. It is one of the longest standing venues on the Formula One calendar and has been the setting of many dramatic races in the past.

"It has a fast characteristic, with a lot of changes in elevation, rewarding power and downforce.

"The most famous Eau Rouge corner is now generally taken flat, so actually not really a limiting corner. Eau Rouge leads onto a long uphill straight.

"The combination makes overtaking relatively frequent, with cars able to trade corner exit speed, slipstream effects and, with the current hybrid power units, the remaining energy in the battery. "

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