‘Sorry’ Daniel Ricciardo reveals ‘the corner’ at Spa that F1 drivers talk about, it’s not Eau Rouge

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Daniel Ricciardo has revealed the one corner at Spa-Francorchamps that Formula 1 drivers really talk about, and he is ‘sorry’ that it is not the ‘pretty easy’ Eau Rouge.

Spa is the spiritual home of the Belgian Grand Prix and features a host of iconic corners that get pulses going. But Ricciardo does not feel Eau Rouge is the one any longer as modern F1 cars can comfortably take the left-right kink before Raidillon at full throttle in dry conditions.

Eau Rouge has been modified regularly over the years to improve Spa’s safety standards. Yet it remains one of the most legendary corners on the entire Formula 1 calendar and is even a rare bend. F1 drivers only enjoy the compression when they are at the bottom of Eau Rouge.

Daniel Ricciardo names Pouhon as the corner at Spa that F1 drivers talk about

Eau Rouge became a fabled part of Formula 1 as the characterises of the corner named after the 15km (9.5m) river which passes underneath Spa initially provided a great challenge, plus its rarity. Pictures also never do the steepness of the fast, 134-foot uphill sweep any justice.

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But Visa Cash App RB driver Ricciardo feels modern Formula 1 cars have nullified what made Eau Rouge special. Now, the corner at Spa that the grid actually talks about is Pouhon as the rapid left-hander Turn 12 is still challenging in all conditions, whilst Eau Rouge relies on rain.

“It’s still an exciting track,” Ricciardo said, via quotes by Speedcafe. “It’s one of those ones where we’ve all driven a lot of times now, so just naturally you’re not as excited as the first time you ever drove there and did Eau Rouge.

“In dry conditions, Eau Rouge, sorry, it’s pretty easy now. But Spa rains probably 50 per cent of the time. And in the wet, Eau Rouge is a freaking scary corner. It’s a real corner.

“So, it depends on the water. If it’s an easy, sunny [and] dry weekend, Eau Rouge isn’t the corner we talk about – it’s Pouhon, really. That one is a real corner.”

Daniel Ricciardo is ‘sorry’ that Eau Rouge requires rain to be a challenge

While Eau Rouge is now just a kink in a Formula 1 car as drivers charge from La Source (T1) to Les Combes (T7-8-9), Pouhon (T12) still raises Ricciardo’s pulse. The corner still provides F1 drivers with a test as they fly through the double apex left-hander in the middle sector.

READ MORE: The most successful F1 drivers at the Belgian GP of all time and at Spa

If a driver takes too much of the inside kerb at Pouhon, they risk unsettling the car. Drivers running wide on the exit of the first apex also risk unsettling their car on the exit kerb which carries the additional risk of being spat off into the barriers at high speed in all conditions.

In comparison, most of the challenge for Eau Rouge nowadays comes from drivers needing to keep their feet flat to the flow. Raidillon also forces drivers to change their focus quickly and avoid exceeding track limits by cutting the inside kerb or running too wide on the exit.