The 1950s

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 4 Alberto Ascari (Ferrari 500) leads the field up Eau Rouge at the start of the 1952 Belgian Grand Prix. © LAT Photographic Luigi Musso (Ferrari Dino 246) crosses the bridge at the bottom of the hill. 1958 Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps. © LAT Photographic Tony Brooks (Vanwall) 1st position, leads at the start of the race. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. 13th - 15th June 1958. © LAT Photographic Tony Brooks (Vanwall) makes his way down the hill towards the towering Eau Rouge. Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, 15th June 1958. © LAT Photographic Info Close

The characteristic down-up sweep of Eau Rouge, named for the red-hued, iron-rich stream running beneath it, has been used in every iteration of Spa since the world championship began in 1950. However, when cars first started racing there in the 1920s, Eau Rouge was a sharp left-hander which took the drivers off towards a hairpin in the direction of the German border. But seeking to improve the average speed of what was already a supremely quick circuit, track bosses decided to create an ‘artificial’ uphill sweep in order to bypass the slow section. If you look closely at these pictures from the 1950s you can still see the old left-hander at the bottom of the hill, just after the brick wall denoting the edge of the bridge. As you can see, there were initially no barriers at the corner, though a low-level metal Armco barrier was added to the inside of the uphill section in the mid-Fifties. Of course, what these pictures struggle to get across is just how steep the hill is - such is the gradient that Michael Schumacher once said that approaching Eau Rouge was like “flying downhill and seeing a big mountain in front of you”.

The 1960s

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 5 Graham Hill leads the field through Eau Rouge at the start of the 1965 Belgian Grand Prix. © LAT Photographic Despite the poor weather, a group of spectators have an unparalleled view of the action at the top of Eau Rouge. Note the stone wall. Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, 9 June 1963. ©Sutton Motorsport Images Carel Godin de Beaufort (Porsche 718) leads a Ferrari Dino 156 passed the pits towards Eau Rouge. 1962 Belgian Grand Prix. © LAT Photographic Pole sitter and race winner John Surtees (GBR) Ferrari 312 leads the field through Eau Rouge at the start of the race. Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, 12 June 1966. © Sutton Motorsport Images The competitors climb through Eau Rouge in tricky wet conditions at the start; a keen photographer on the right getting very close to the action. Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, 9 June 1963. ©Sutton Motorsport Images Info Close

As these pictures show, there were no major changes to Eau Rouge in the Sixties, save for the addition of advertising banners to the bridge. Safety precautions at the corner remained minimal at best, with an unforgiving stone wall lining the outside of the bend all the way from the bottom of the hill to Raidillon (the final left-hander at the crest of the hill). But that was the least of Jim Clark’s worries during practice in 1966: "I was taking the hill from Eau Rouge at 130mph and taking my line through the bend when I came across this [road] car moving at a quarter of my speed. It was all I could do to stay out of the trees..."

The 1970s

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 4 Eau Rouge was lined with Armco barriers for the 1970 race. © LAT Photographic The start: Jochen Rindt(AUT) Lotus 49C, leads from Chris Amon, Jackie Stewart, Jacky Ickx and Jack Brabham. 1970 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images The start: Jochen Rindt(AUT) Lotus 49C, leads from Chris Amon, Jackie Stewart, Jacky Ickx and Jack Brabham. 1970 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Jack Brabham (Brabham BT33-Ford), retired, leads Jacky Ickx (Ferrari 312B), 8th position, through Eau Rouge, action. 1970 Belgian Grand Prix. © LAT Photographic. Ref: 3130 - 30A. Info Close

Concerns from the Grand Prix Drivers Association over rising speeds, dangerous road surfaces and inadequate safety barriers led to the cancellation of the 1969 race, but the event returned in 1970, by which time Eau Rouge had been lined with protective Armco. Catch fencing - very popular at the time - had also been added at the bottom of the corner. However, it would prove to be the last Grand Prix at Spa for 13 years, with the championship’s Belgian round moving first to Nivelles and then to Zolder. It’s worth remembering that the Spa used to be made up entirely of public roads - hence the road markings and graffiti shown in these pictures. The track was shortened from 14.1 km to its current length in 1979, but it wasn’t until 2000 that it became a dedicated race circuit.

The 1980s

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 5 Alain Prost approaches Eau Rouge during the 1987 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Ayrton Senna (BRA) Lotus 98T, who finished the race in second position, sends the sparks flying as he climbs Eau Rouge. 1986 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Eddie Cheever(USA) Arrows A10, 4th place at Eau Rouge corner 1987 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Nigel Mansell (Williams FW11 Honda) 1st position at Eau Rouge. 1986 Belgian Grand Prix. © LAT Photographic Eau Rouge on the scenic Spa circuit. 1985 Belgian Grand Prix. © ©Sutton Motorsport Images Info Close

After eight successive races at the universally unpopular Zolder circuit, the drivers were delighted when the Belgian Grand Prix returned to Spa for a one-off race in 1983 (ahead of a permanent return in 1985). The good news was that Eau Rouge remained as great a challenge as ever, with the only modifications being marginally increased run-off, better Armco barriers, the addition of tyre walls at the bottom of the hill and new entry and exit kerbing on the track edges. Tragically, rising F1 star Stefan Bellof would lose his life at the corner during a sportscar race in 1985, but as the decade went on, so the safety precautions improved, with tyre barriers extended and run-off areas improved. From a visual point of view, the low-slung cars of the era made the legendary section practically pyrotechnic, with cars spewing out sparks as they hit the compression at the bottom of the hill. Now that they have titanium skid blocks, will the current breed of cars prove as spectacular?

The 1990s

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 6 Alessandro Nannini through Eau Rouge, 1990 Belgian Grand Prix. ©Sutton Motorsport Images Rubens Barrichello leads the field through the infamous Eau Rouge chicane at the start of the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix. ©Sutton Motorsport Images Gerhard Berger tackles Eau Rouge in 1990. Note the steepness of the hill. ©Sutton Motorsport Images Winner Michael Schumacher (Ferrari F310B) takes the famous Eau Rouge corner during the 1997 Belgian Grand Prix. ©Sutton Motorsport Images The awesome Eau Rouge corner, 1997. ©Sutton Motorsport Images The remains of Jacques Villeneuve's BAR after his qualifying accident at Eau Rouge in 1999. ©Sutton Motorsport Images Info Close

Eau Rouge was the scene of several major crashes in the Nineties. In 1993 Alex Zanardi was lucky to escape major injury when his Lotus suffered a mechanical issue and smashed into the wall midway up the hill. That incident increased speculation that, for safety reasons, the corner might one day have to be re-profiled to a chicane - a suggestion that outraged Ayrton Senna. "If you take away Eau Rouge," the five-time Belgian winner said, "you take away the reason why I do this..." The sad irony was that it was Senna’s death - and the subsequent safety backlash - that led to a chicane being installed at the corner in 1994. The section would return to its visceral best the following year, albeit with additional tyre barriers, gravel traps and run-off areas. In 1999 the wall was moved back from the inside of the right hander, prompting Jacques Villeneuve to say: “The corner’s easier now - visually it’s not as impressive as it used to be. It’s going to be flat-out…” The Canadian’s words would come back to haunt him. In qualifying Villeneuve and BAR team mate Ricciardo Zonta dared one another to take the corner without lifting - and both suffered massive accidents. However, advances in aerodynamic performance meant that the following year many found that Eau Rouge could indeed be taken flat in top gear on low fuel.

The 2000s

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 9 The famous hill of Eau Rouge, 2007. © LAT Photographic The drivers tackle the revised Eau Rouge in 2002. Note the extensive tarmac run-off. © LAT Photographic Jarno Trulli goes through Eau Rouge in 2007. © Sutton Motorsport Images Michael Schumacher (GER) Ferrari F2005 goes through Eau Rouge. 2005 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images The legendary Eau Rouge. Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps, 2 September 2001. ©Sutton Motorsport Images Jacques Villeneuve (Sauber Petronas C24) gets crossed up at Eau Rouge during the 2005 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Cars fly through the newly revised Eau Rouge flat out in 2002. Patches are left where the wooden planks scrape the track surface. © LAT Photographic Heikki Kovalainen kicks up some sparks through Eau Rouge during the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F2007) tackles Eau Rouge at great speed. 2007 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Info Close

The beginning of the decade saw the gravel trap on the outside of the corner replaced with asphalt as the push for improved safety continued, while the support paddock pit lane exit was moved to the inside of the corner. The exit kerb at the top of the hill was also flattened, helping ensure drivers continued to take Eau Rouge at nerve-shredding speeds. However, not everyone was happy that an element of jeopardy had been removed. "I always enjoy driving here, but it was easy to take Eau Rouge flat today,” Villeneuve said in 2002. “With traction control and high grip it's now the same for everybody." But it wasn’t until 2006 - when the engine formula changed from 3.0-litre V10s to 2.4-litre V8s - that most drivers agreed that Eau Rouge had become easier to drive, though many were keen to point out that it still a real challenge in the wet or on full tanks. Speaking in 2008, Mark Webber said he approved of the changes. “The challenge is not as it used to be, with the V10s we used to arrive there right on the edge, and in the tyre war days it was quick. But now the cars are a bit more stable through there. You certainly want your car to stay together through there, as it will be a massive shunt if you have any mechanical failures at any stage through that section. They have done a really good compromise on it. You can still go in hard there if you get it wrong, if the tyre pressures are out or the plank [on the floor of the car] touches."

2010 - Today

Next Previous Enlarge 1 / 9 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes AMG F1 W05) as seen through the Eau Rouge Armco. 2014 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Jenson Button (GBR) McLaren MP4-29 leads Nico Rosberg (GER) Mercedes AMG F1 W05 through Eau Rouge in 2014. © Sutton Motorsport Images Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 2014 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W04 leads at the start of the race. 2013 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Images Mark Webber (right) completes a daring overtake on Fernando Alonso heading into Eau Rouge during the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India F1 VJM03), 2010 Belgian Grand Prix. © Sutton Motorsport Images Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) battles with Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) through Eau Rouge. 2011 Belgian Grand Prix. © © Sutton Motorsport Images Sergio Perez (MEX) Sauber C31. Belgian Grand Prix, Qualifying, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Saturday 1 September 2012.© Sutton Motorsport Images Jenson Button (GBR) McLaren MP4-27. Belgian Grand Prix, Qualifying, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Saturday 1 September 2012. © Sutton Motorsport Images Info Close