Max Verstappen declared winner of aborted rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix

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Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the Belgian Grand Prix, which was two laps slower than the safety car.

Rain prevented competitive racing at Spa-Francorchamps.

The race started delayed for half an hour, and then two attempts were made at starting it - with a gap between them of almost three hours.

However, the conditions were too dangerous for safety and the red flag was raised after two laps behind the safety vehicle.

Accordingly, the result was declared from the grid order with Verstappen in front of Williams driver George Russell as well as Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

According to regulations, two laps were enough to award half-points, so Verstappen reduced Hamilton's lead in the championship to three points.

Russell's first podium finish is thanks to Saturday's qualifying lap in wet conditions. This will be remembered as one of F1's greatest moments.

Russell, 23 years old, said that he was honoured for his great qualifications today.

"It was unfortunate that we couldn't get the race started, but from my side and the team's, it's an incredible result.

"The entire team deserves it because they have put so much effort into work over the past few years, and there has not been anything to show for it. But we absolutely nailed yesterday."

Sergio Perez, Verstappen's fellow teammate, crashed on his way to the grid

History, of a kind

As the F1 Grand Prix with no racing, this race will be a significant part of history.

The cars delayed the initial start, but they followed the safety car briefly until the track was declared too wet.

There was then a delay of almost three hours before cars followed the safety car out the pit lane at 18.17 local time. They returned three laps later.

Verstappen stated that it was crucial to secure the pole position. Although it was a shame not to get laps properly, the conditions were extremely difficult.

"At 3.30pm, the conditions were good but visibility was poor. If we had started at 3pm, we might have had a better chance.

"Big credit to all the fans for being here every day."

Hamilton said: "They knew at the end that the track was not any better and they did this just so they could run two laps and declare the race. I hope that the fans receive their money back.

On the straight, you couldn't see more than five metres ahead of you. The flashing light was not visible in front of you.

Drivers needed to be focused for at least three hours.

What's next?

The Dutch Grand Prix will follow the extraordinary events at Spa. Next weekend, the Zandvoort track returns to the calendar for its first time since 1985. This is expected to attract a large crowd of Verstappen lovers.