Pizzonia confirmed for Spa

Pizzonia has filled in for the injured Ralf Schumacher for the past two races in Germany and Hungary, but it is thought Belgium will be the Brazilian's final race for the team with Schumacher expected to return to the cockpit for the Italian Grand Prix in mid-September.

Spa is extremely familiar to 'Jungle Boy' having raced there in Formula Renault, F3 and F3000.

"Spa is a very special place, so I can't wait to drive a Formula 1 car around it," Pizzonia said. "I don't think Eau Rouge is as challenging as it used to be, though, because Formula 1 cars have changed so much. We have such a huge amount of downforce now, and the tyres have improved so much, I think everyone pretty much goes flat out around it."

Team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya is delighted to be returning to Spa, not only is it one of his preferred circuits, it is also a track that Williams has fared well on in the past.

"It's great to have the Belgian Grand Prix back on the calendar," the Colombian said. "I regard it as one of my favourite tracks, fast, challenging and very demanding on the drivers, so it will be good to race again there. With respect to our performance, our package has always worked pretty well at Spa and generally we have qualified near the front and had a couple of podium finishes."

Having reverted back to the traditional nose at the last round in Hungary, the team will take additional aero revisions to Spa as part of its ongoing development.

"We will have some more aerodynamic developments on the FW26's bodywork, particularly around the winglet and cooling chimney area, a result of the on-going wind tunnel programme," technical director Sam Michael said. "Our strong partnership with Michelin has enabled us to precisely calculate the tyre compound and casing requirements for Spa. This is particularly impressive given the changes to the surface, and indeed to the car, since we were last at the track."