France – Belgium: which country wins the match in motorsport?

Millions of you will be watching the match between France and Belgium in the semi-final of the Football World Cup on Tuesday evening at 20 p.m. While preparations are going well for Antoine Griezmann and Eden Hazard's teams in Saint Petersburg (Russia), AUTOhebdo decided to pit the two neighboring countries against each other in another stadium: world-class FIA motorsport.

Circuits
The country of Tintin (and Michel Vaillant) is very, very strong. Of course, there is Zolder, but the route of Spa-Francorchamps is, in the opinion of the pilots of Formula 1, one of the most beautiful in the world, just like Suzuka. Significant difference in altitude (it is nicknamed the Toboggan of the Ardennes), significant length (7,004 km), and above all, pieces of bravery like the Eau Rouge-Raidillon sequence, a real test for the bravery of the pilots.

In France, Le Mans (Sarthe) is the most atypical route; winding and fast sections (Turns Porsche) follow several kilometers of straight lines (Hunaudières), all on public roads. A unique scent for an event like no other, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We could have talked about Paul-Ricard (Var), but the exhilaration of seeing prototypes and GTs on a 13,626 km circuit is incomparable.

Score: 1-1

World champions
Let's be chauvinistic, it's France which wins this time. " The teacher ", Alain Prost, won four world titles in Formula 1, 51 victories, 33 pole positions and 106 podiums between 1980 and 1993. Today he remains one of the most notable drivers in this discipline, notably for his Homeric duel with Ayrton Senna.

France also took control of the World Rally Championship (WRC) : Since 2003 (14 years old!), the Pilots crown is placed on the head of a Frenchman, Sebastien Loeb (9) then Sébastien Ogier (5, current series).

Let's add to this beautiful list Yvan muller (four-time world touring car champion), Jean Louis Schlesser (double world sports car champion, multiple world cup Rally-raids), Loïc duval and Benoît Tréluyer (a title in WEC), Didier Auriol (a WRC title) or yannick dalmas (a title in sports cars) and the picture is brilliant.  

Jacky Ickx valiantly defends the Belgian colors. “Mister Le Mans” was for many years the record holder for victories in the Sarthe (6) and twice won the World Sports Car Championship (WSC, in 1981 and 1982).

Its versatility in many disciplines (twice F1 vice-champion with Ferrari in 1969 and 1970, winner of the 1985 Paris-Dakar or the 1000 Bathurst 1977 km) made him a driver apart from the elite of motor sports.

But he is alone in putting Belgium on the world's shelves. In his defense, France had 66,9 million inhabitants in 2016 and Belgium 11,35 million; obviously, the share of pilots is reduced…

Score: 2-1

Titled teams
With three general manufacturers, France was able to rely on several official structures. In F1, Renault won two Manufacturers' titles (2005 and 2006) with its own French engine before returning to its name in 2016. Peugeot enjoyed the glory days of world rallying (five Manufacturers' titles) and Group C (one WSC title). Citroën enjoyed a golden period with eight WRC and two WTCC successes between 2003 and 2015.

This is a joy that Belgium has never known. Only the Team WRT collected FIA awards during the FIA ​​GT Series, the ancestor of Blancpain (in 2013), but it was no longer a world championship.

Score: 3-1

And in 2018?
In single-seaters, strength in numbers goes to France, which has placed three nationals in F1 (Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Romain Grosjean), while Stoffel vandoorne has represented his country alone since 2017. Jérôme d'Ambrosio, seen in F1 between 2011 and 2012, participates in the Formula e.

En Endurance, Maxime Martin is the only Belgian entered in the WEC with Aston Martin while they were 18 French at the launch of the 2018-19 Super-Season at… Spa-Francorchamps.

In rallying, however, the duel is ultra-tight. After seven rounds of the WRC championship, Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai) ahead by 27 points Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia (M-Sport Ford) in what promises to be one of the most exciting seasons of the turn of the century.

Finally, the Tourism/GT category is the favorite universe of Belgians. After the Marc VDS in the early 2010s, Team WRT dominates the Blancpain GT Series with its armada of Audi R8s (Team and Driver titles in Endurance, Sprint and overall, victories at the 24 Hours of Spa, the Nürburgring, the 12 Hours of Bathurst, etc.).

The Belgian colony is outnumbered in the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR: Team WRT, but also Comtoyou Racing, Boutsen Ginion Racing and DG Sport Compétition are running 10 cars under the Belgian flag, out of a total of 26 competitors!

Final score: 4-2
The country of Molière wins this match due to a greater number of manufacturers and drivers involved in motorsport. Despite the relatively small size of its territory and its small population, Belgium has produced one of the craziest circuits in the world and an exceptional champion.

If you are a Belgian internet user, we hope that Belgium will qualify for the final. If you are French, we will support France! No jealous people in the AUTO communityhebdo, sincehe sport must be a vector of beautiful emotions.