It's time for a blast through the hills and valleys of the Ardennes as Formula 1 returns to racing in style. The Belgian Grand Prix sees F1 bounce back from its self-imposed summer hiatus and what better venue than the 7k high stakes rollercoaster ride that is Spa-Francorchamps.

Event schedule

The usually quiet Thursday will likely see the paddock regulars swapping holiday snaps and catching up on missed news. Scrutineering will show whether revised front wing deflection tests have caught the regulation pushing Ferrari's or Red Bull's out.

Friday should offer a decent clue as to who's made the best of their revised aero configurations. Look out for Renault testing their brand new, but ultimately rather belated, f-duct. Kubica believes his chances on Sunday rest on the success of the device.

With the prospect of a wet qualifying session on the cards, Saturday afternoon is not to be missed, whilst the addition of artificial grass at turn one should make the opening laps on Sunday a little more tricky. With Kimi Räikkönen absent from the field this year, at least someone else has a chance to go for the win. Michael Schumacher carries a 10 place grid drop into this race, so expect him to start near or at the back of the pack.

Support racing for this event includes GP2, GP3, Formula BMW and Porsche Supercup.

The weather

Welcome to the world of the Belgium microclimate. Races at Spa bring with them a level of unpredictability, and that only adds to the entertainment. Thursday leading into Friday will likely see the worst of the weather, with cold but clear practice sessions expected. Saturday qualifying could be a wet one before more unsettled weather arrives on Sunday. In short, expect the unexpected.

The circuit

Spa offers drivers the longest lap of the season, and Bridgestone will be arriving with the hard and soft compound tyres for the weekend. Inclement weather would mean that both types may not be required during the race.

Thankfully the two overtaking opportunities (at Les Combes and the final chicane) during the lap, mean out of position drivers at least have a slim chance of making up places during the course of the afternoon.

Circuit map

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

Four stewards oversee a Formula 1 race weekend, two FIA stewards, together with one experienced former F1 driver and a steward representing the National Sporting Authority.

Following live

A thread will be created on Sidepodcast.com for every session and every thread is live enabled, meaning you can follow along and contribute to the conversation without refreshing the page.