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Robert Kubica wary of 'Dangerous' Raidillon before the WEC's 6 hours of Spa
- Ludo van Denderen
The Raidillon corner at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit - more popularly known as Eau Rouge - is one of the most challenging and famous stretches of asphalt in the world. Every season, Formula 1 drivers fly at full speed up the steep hill of the circuit in the Belgian Ardennes. This weekend, it's the World Endurance Championship's turn (WEC) to go through Eau Rouge; the experience is slightly different than in an F1 car, but no less spectacular, says Grand Prix winner Robert Kubica
The Pole will compete in the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps this weekend for the AF Corse team, Ferrari's customer team. In the Italian manufacturer's 499P, Kubica is expected to be one of the favourites for the win on Saturday. Earlier in his career, Kubica was on the grid at Spa five times with a Formula 1 car. Therefore, the 39-year-old can compare what it is like to go around Spa with an F1 car and a hypercar like no one else can.
'In Formula 1, Raidillon is not a corner'
"To be honest, with F1, it's not a corner," Kubica believes. "So you go probably 50 kilometres faster and it's not a corner. With the hypercar, I think it's more challenging and you are more grip-limited. So it's actually more dangerous in a hypercar than in F1."
The WEC weekend at Spa-Francorchamps in '23 saw several accidents at Raidillon. For example, ex-Toro Rosso driver Brendon Hartley slid into the tyre wall at the top of the corner on cold tyres. During the race, Renger van der Zande suffered a heavy impact in his Cadillac after losing control of his car in the kink up the hill.
The World Endurance Championship race at Spa-Francorchamps can be followed live on Eurosport around Europe on Saturday.