The circuit was co-founded in August 1921 by Jules de Thier — owner of the Belgian newspaper La Meuse — and Henri Langlois van Ophem. They designed a triangular route on public roads through the Ardennes connecting the villages of Francorchamps, Malmedy, and Stavelot, giving the original layout a length of 14.982 km. Motor racing had been held in the Belgian Ardennes since 1896, and from 1902 on sections of closed public road — the first instance of a public road being shut for motor racing. The first Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps was held in 1925. The circuit was included in the inaugural 1950 Formula One World Championship season.
In 1939 the layout was modified, most significantly at the slow uphill U-turn previously known as Ancienne Douane. Replacing it with a faster sweeping section created the entry to what became the Eau Rouge/Raidillon complex and reduced the circuit to 14.100 km; this version remained in use through 1978.
The most feared section of the original public-road circuit was the Masta Kink, a high-speed double kink situated between two straights each approximately 1.5 miles long, with speeds reaching 298 km/h and no meaningful runoff on either side. Jackie Stewart — who called the Masta "by far the most difficult corner in the world" — suffered broken ribs there in 1966 when he crashed a fuel-soaked car and was trapped for an extended period. The accident became a key motivation for Stewart's subsequent campaign for better safety standards in Grand Prix racing.
The dangers of the original circuit were demonstrated acutely at the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix, when Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey were killed within 15 minutes of each other. In 1969 the Grand Prix Drivers' Association boycotted the race entirely; armco barriers were installed for the 1970 race, but Formula One did not return to the old Spa layout after that year. The Belgian Grand Prix moved to Zolder until the new shortened circuit was ready.
A shortened permanent circuit opened in 1979, retaining key sections of the original public road layout but eliminating the most exposed rural stretches. The new layout measured 6.947 km. In 1981 the start-finish line was relocated to the straight after the La Source hairpin. A further revision in 2007 lengthened the circuit to its current 7.004 km, primarily through modifications at the Bus Stop chicane at the final corner.
The current Formula One lap record is 1:44.701, set by Sergio Pérez in a Red Bull RB20 during the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix. The corresponding record on the old 14.100 km circuit was 3:13.4, set by Henri Pescarolo in a Matra-Simca MS670B during the 1973 World Sportscar Championship at an average speed of 262 km/h.
Eau Rouge and Raidillon — the uphill sweeping sequence that defines Spa's character — was created with the 1939 modification. The section descends at speed to a valley, compresses, then climbs a blind crest that modern Formula One machinery often takes without lifting. La Source, the slow hairpin at the top of the pit straight, was part of the original layout. Blanchimont, a very high-speed left-hand bend in the final sector, and Pouhon, a long double-left swept at high speed through a dip, are other defining features of the modern circuit.
The circuit's spectator capacity is 70,000, with the majority of viewing on the hillside above Raidillon and along the Kemmel Straight.
The Belgian Grand Prix has been contested at Spa-Francorchamps almost continuously since 1925, with absences during the wartime 1940s and from 1970 through 1982. The 24 Hours of Spa has been held since 1924, making it one of the oldest endurance races in the world. The FIA World Endurance Championship visits annually with the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
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