The Belgian Grand Prix had been absent from the calendar in 1957 due to financial disputes. In the interim, the circuit received extensive work: the pits and paddock were rebuilt, the pit straight was widened and straightened, and the entire track was resurfaced. The race distance was cut from 36 to 24 laps — a reduction that prompted widespread criticism that the event resembled a sprint rather than a true grand prix. Adding to the confusion, all printed programmes stated a race length of 30 laps, leaving spectators convinced the race had been curtailed by six laps without explanation.
Spa at the time ran 14.1 kilometres over public roads in the Ardennes with no meaningful safety modifications. Trees, electric poles, fences, and houses stood immediately at the circuit edge. The Masta Kink — a high-speed left-right chicane taken flat-out after the long Malmedy straight — was described by Jackie Stewart as "by far the most difficult corner in the world."
Mike Hawthorn took pole position for Ferrari with a time of 3:57.1, ahead of Ferrari teammate Luigi Musso and Vanwall's Stirling Moss. The Vanwall team were so confident in Moss's time that they withdrew his car from the final practice session; Hawthorn and Musso then both improved to beat it. Tony Brooks qualified fifth, 2.0 seconds off pole.
The grid arrangement itself was bungled. Hawthorn pointed out that the front row was aligned on the wrong side of the track; officials corrected the first three positions but left the remainder of the grid reversed, so that faster qualifiers occupied the slower side throughout the field. Before the start, officials added two unannounced extra minutes to the standing wait, causing cars to overheat dangerously. Peter Collins's Ferrari boiled over, paint blistering on the bonnet, before the flagman lost patience and finally started the race.
Moss led away but retired on the first lap with engine failure. Brooks and Collins swapped the lead several times before Collins retired on lap 6 with overheating, Musso also retiring the same lap following an accident. By a quarter-distance Brooks had established a clear lead over Hawthorn, with Lewis-Evans third.
On the final lap, as Brooks came out of La Source to finish the race, his gearbox seized as he crossed the line. Hawthorn's engine failed as he approached the finish to secure second. Lewis-Evans's suspension collapsed approaching La Source and he crawled to the line third. None of the three podium cars would have lasted another lap. Brooks won in 1 hour 37 minutes 6.3 seconds, 20.7 seconds ahead of Hawthorn, with Lewis-Evans 3 minutes behind.
Cliff Allison's Lotus-Climax finished fourth, scoring the first World Championship points finish for Team Lotus. Harry Schell completed the top five for BRM.
Maria Teresa de Filippis became the first woman to start and finish a World Championship Grand Prix, driving her privately entered Maserati 250F to tenth place, two laps behind the winner. She had entered the Monaco Grand Prix earlier in 1958 but failed to qualify. The pre-race parade of drivers in open sports cars prompted Denis Jenkinson to add "(or her)" to his race report, which he noted was likely the first time he had ever needed to do so.
The victory was Tony Brooks's first solo grand prix win; he had previously shared the winning Vanwall at the 1957 British Grand Prix with Stirling Moss.
Stirling Moss led the drivers' championship with 17 points, ahead of Hawthorn on 14. Ferrari led the constructors' standings on 20 points with Vanwall on 16.