Alpine F1 will hold a tribute event for Antoine Hubert in Spa.

      The Belgian track in Spa is one of the four that hosted stages of the very first World Championship, and where, 76 years later, Formula 1 races are still held. However, it is now half the length it was in the 1950s, when the lap length was 14.120 km. The Alpine F1 team will once again hold an event in memory of Antoine Hubert, the young French driver who trained at the Renault Sport Academy and tragically died in Spa in an accident during a Formula 2 race in 2019. On July 16, Thursday evening, the traditional mass run on the track will take place – this way all participants will pay tribute to Hubert and Dilano van 't Hoff, the 18-year-old Dutch Formula Regional driver whose life was cut short in Spa in the summer of 2023. Anyone who wishes to participate, including drivers and team members from F1, F2, and F3, can join the run. Pierre Gasly: “I am preparing for the weekend in Spa, and I have a special relationship with this stage of the calendar for many reasons. Some corners of the Belgian track are among the best in the championship, and drivers will face very interesting challenges there. Probably, with the new generation of cars, things will be somewhat different than in previous years, because during the lap, we will have to manage energy usage – that’s the nature of this track with its long straights and fast corners. I believe we need to be ready for any developments and think ahead about different ways to achieve good results on the lap. I am confident we will see teams applying various approaches to setups. I am determined to achieve better results than in some previous races and to challenge my rivals, especially since the competition in the championship is intensifying. Every year, returning to Spa comes with special emotions because I, like many other drivers, remember Antoine, and on Thursday evening, I will organize a run in his memory – this year the Run for Antoine event will take place for the fourth time.” Franco Colapinto: “I am very happy that we are returning to Spa this week, as it is one of my favorite tracks. I really like that it is very fast, and it is interesting to drive cars of any category there. Its fast corners always require maximum concentration, and there are plenty of overtaking opportunities, especially since this year’s cars allow for closer chasing of rivals. The need to manage energy consumption will also add an interesting element, and during practice on this challenging track, we need to find the optimal approach to tactics. It’s nice that we earned points in Silverstone, especially since I gained ten positions and finished in 9th place. But the battle in the Constructors' Cup is becoming incredibly fierce, so we continue to work to ensure we have the opportunity to challenge our rivals in Belgium. Additionally, I am looking forward to the World Cup semi-final, where Argentina and England will face off, as many members of our team are British. Let’s see who among us has more reasons to celebrate on Thursday!” Steve Nielsen, Managing Director of Alpine F1: “We have a series of two consecutive races ahead, the last before the summer break, so after several intense weeks, we need to analyze a lot. We are certainly in a tight battle with other mid-field teams for 5th place in the Constructors' Cup, and it is quite clear that we are currently just a step behind some of our competitors. The weekend in Silverstone was not easy, but both drivers did well, recovering from distant starting positions and finishing in the top ten. I especially want to highlight Franco, who started 19th but fought his way to 9th place, gaining ten positions. The results of many races this season have been influenced by retirements, and in such situations, it is important to seize any opportunities. However, so far our competitors have been doing this better – therefore, we need to step up. The task is precisely to increase the speed of the car. There is intense work on technical innovations at the base in Enstone, and it is very important that they work as effectively as possible on the track. In Belgium, the new generation of cars will face interesting challenges, and the nature of the show we will see may differ significantly from what happened in Spa in the past.”