This F1 track looks unrecognisable after extreme weather

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This F1 track looks unrecognisable after extreme weather

The winter weather has taken over at Spa

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 7 January 2026 14:58

F1's winter break is in full swing and the extreme weather has reached some of the most iconic track's on the motorsport calendar.

In a post on social media, one track shared a festive video which showed he usually clear circuit covered in snow, with a landscape that felt more suitable for Lapland than a classic race track!

But can you guess which venue this is?

Article continues under video

Yes, it's Spa-Francorchamps! Ok, the Instagram account handle definitely gave it away but after heavy snowfall, the home of F1's Belgian Grand Prix is almost unrecognisable.

The rolling hills of the Ardennes forest that usually make up the scenery of the European F1 event were instead picturesque for another reason as drone shots of the legendary Belgian track revealed the impact of the extreme cold spells sweeping Europe.

Snow at Spa!

Europe has welcomed 2026 with shockingly cold spells so far in January with the lowest recorded temperature in Belgium hitting -9 degrees Celsius.

This comes as the UK have braved the coldest temperatures of the winter so far, with the Met Office recording that temperatures dropped as low as -12.5C degrees Celsius in Norfolk on Monday night.

The extreme weather across Europe during the F1 off-season has been attributed to 'Storm Goretti' which has seen the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) extend their amber cold health alerts across England until midday on Sunday, with heavy snow expected on Thursday and Friday.

Though F1's Belgian GP has luckily never been affected by snow, it is often the host of one of the wettest races on the modern calendar.

But it did in fact snow during a race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in 2019, during the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps World Endurance Championship event.

The 2026 Belgian GP will take place on Sunday, July 19, so something would be seriously wrong if the race were to be at risk of snowfall by then.

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A post shared by Circuit de Spa Francorchamps (@circuit_spa_francorchamps)

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography