Lewis Hamilton got back to winning ways in Spain a fortnight ago to extend an already commanding lead at the top of the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, but can the defending world champion now make it back-to-back victories at a circuit that has not been too kind to him in recent years?

Hamilton saw a three-race win streak come to an end in the second race of the Silverstone double-header, but his response in Barcelona was nothing short of emphatic, and borderline flawless, as he dominated the Spanish Grand Prix, finishing 24 seconds ahead of second-place Max Verstappen and 44 seconds clear of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas. It was the British ace’s fourth straight Spanish success, but this weekend he takes on a circuit that has not brought much joy recently.

The Mercedes man is a three-time winner of the Belgian Grand Prix, but after winning it for the first time in 2010 he had to wait until 2015 for his sophomore success at Spa-Francorchamps. Hamilton completed a Belgian hat-trick two years later on his way to winning the world title, and despite his dominance of the sport he has been waiting for win number four ever since. He was forced to settle for second place behind Sebastian Vettel in 2018 and after a disappointing qualifying outing in 2019 he once again had to settle for the runners-up spot, this time behind Charles Leclerc.

So can Hamilton finally halt his Spa drought this weekend? How can we bet against him! The defending world champion has largely been outstanding since the 2020 Formula 1 season got underway and neither Red Bull nor Ferrari have done anything to suggest that they can upstage him here. Team-mate Bottas has managed to do it on a couple of occasions, but he remains firmly in Hamilton’s shadow and will stay there this weekend as the British star takes the chequered flag for the fifth time this season.

The odds on a Hamilton Pole Position/Race Winner double are not exactly lucrative though, so if you are looking for bigger odds why not consider the Fastest Lap market?

I have backed Hamilton for the fastest lap on a couple of occasions so far this season, but he has delivered on only two occasions and, as I have noted previously, Spa-Francorchamps is not a circuit that has brought a massive amount of success. Therefore I fancy Bottas to record the fastest lap in Sunday’s race. The Finn managed this back in 2018 and he continues to be one of only two drivers that have been able to get close to Hamilton this season, let alone beat the Brit, so it would not be a massive shock to see him record the fastest lap here.

Belgian Grand Prix Predictions & Tips: Circuit Guide

Spa Francorchamps has been the home of the Belgium Grand Prix – on-and-off – since the race was first held back in 1925, and despite undergoing several changes over the years this circuit remains one of the most popular on the Formula 1 calendar with both drivers and F1 fans. This track features one of the most famous corners in motor racing, Eau Rouge, and the 4.352-mile lap length makes it the longest circuit in all of F1. It is one of the most challenging circuits that drivers will face all season because it is a high risk-high reward track that can punish even the most smallest of mistakes, so this is a race that often produces plenty of drama and entertainment. Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton are three-time winners at the circuit, but out of the active driver line-up it is Kimi Raikkonen who is, rather surprisingly, the most successful at the Spa Francorchamps. The experienced Finn won here four times between 2004 and 2009.

Location: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Francorchamps, Belgium
Number Of Laps: 44
Lap Length: 4.352 miles
Lap Record: Valterri Bottas, 1 minute 46.286 seconds (2018)

Belgian Grand Prix Winners

YEAR	DRIVER	TEAM	CIRCUIT
1925	Antonio Ascari	Alfa Romeo	Spa-Francorchamps
1930	Louis Chiron	Bugatti	Spa-Francorchamps
1931	William Grover-Williams Caberto Conelli	Bugatti	Spa-Francorchamps
1933	Tazio Nuvolari	Maserati	Spa-Francorchamps
1934	Rene Dreyfus	Bugatti	Spa-Francorchamps
1935	Rudolf Caracciola	Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
1937	Rudolf Haase	Auto Union	Spa-Francorchamps
1939	Hermann Lang	Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
1946	Eugene Chaboud	Delage	Bois de la Cambre
1947	Jean-Pierre Wimille	Alfa Romeo	Spa-Francorchamps
1949	Louis Rosier	Talbot	Spa-Francorchamps
1950	Juan Manuel Fangio	Alfa Romeo	Spa-Francorchamps
1951	Giuseppe Farina	Alfa Romeo	Spa-Francorchamps
1952	Alberto Ascari	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
1953	Alberto Scari	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
1954	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	Spa-Francorchamps
1955	Juan Manuel Fangio	Maserati	Spa-Francorchamps
1956	Peter Collins	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
1958	Tony Brooks	Vanwall	Spa-Francorchamps
1960	Jack Brabham	Cooper-Climax	Spa-Francorchamps
1961	Phil Hill	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
1962	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Spa-Francorchamps
1963	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Spa-Francorchamps
1964	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Spa-Francorchamps
1965	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Spa-Francorchamps
1966	John Surtees	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
1967	Dan Gurney	Eagle-Weslake	Spa-Francorchamps
1968	Bruce McLaren	McLaren-Ford	Spa-Francorchamps
1970	Pedro Rodriguez	BRM	Spa-Francorchamps
1972	Emerson Fittipaldi	Lotus-Ford	Nivelles
1973	Jackie Stewart	Tyrell-Ford	Zolder
1974	Emerson Fittipaldi	McLaren-Ford	Nivelles
1975	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	Zolder
1976	Niki Lauda	Ferrari	Zolder
1977	Gunnar Nilsson	Lotus-Ford	Zolder
1978	Mario Andretti	Lotus-Ford	Zolder
1979	Jody Scheckter	Ferraro	Zolder
1980	Didier Pironi	Ligier-Ford	Zolder
1981	Carlos Reutemann	Williams-Ford	Zolder
1982	John Watson	McLaren-Ford	Zolder
1983	Alain Prost	Renault	Spa-Francorchamps
1984	Michele Alboreto	Ferrari	Zolder
1985	Ayrton Senna	Lotus-Renault	Spa-Francorchamps
1986	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	Spa-Francorchamps
1987	Alain Prost	McLaren-TAG	Spa-Francorchamps
1988	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda	Spa-Francorchamps
1989	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda	Spa-Francorchamps
1990	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda	Spa-Francorchamps
1991	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda	Spa-Francorchamps
1992	Michael Schumacher	Benetton-Ford	Spa-Francorchamps
1993	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault	Spa-Francorchamps
1994	Damon Hill	Williams-Renault	Spa-Francorchamps
1995	Michael Schumacher	Benetton-Renault	Spa-Francorchamps
1996	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
1997	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
1998	Damon Hill	Jordan-Mugen-Honda	Spa-Francorchamps
1999	David Coulthard	McLaren-Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2000	Mika Hakkinen	McLaren-Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2001	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
2002	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
2004	Kimi Raikkonen	McLaren-Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2005	Kimi Raikkonen	McLaren-Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2007	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
2008	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
2009	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
2010	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2011	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	Spa-Francorchamps
2012	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2013	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	Spa-Francorchamps
2014	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull-Renault	Spa-Francorchamps
2015	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2016	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2017	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	Spa-Francorchamps
2018	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps
2019	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	Spa-Francorchamps