SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS (Belgium) - Formula One took three hours and forty four minutes to complete three laps of the Belgian Grand Prix. This was the shortest race in the championship’s 71-year history.
The Safety Car was used to complete the three laps. Half-points were awarded to the top ten finishers. There was also a podium ceremony for Max Vertappen, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, and Lewis Hamilton, who were both delighted to be on the podium for the first ever time.
Fans were furious at the circuit, and many stayed in the rain for the entire afternoon. However, they were rewarded with three processional laps following the Safety Car.
Hamilton was the first to criticize the outcome. He called the event "a farce" after the race and repeated his belief that Spa-Francorchamps fans deserved a full refund.
Not surprisingly, Hamilton was not frustrated by the decision to not race. Hamilton, who is a master of wet conditions and a Mercedes driver, admitted that racing on Sunday was impossible.
Hamilton stated, "Obviously, weather is unpredictable and I love racing in rain but today was different." Hamilton stated, "You couldn't see the car ahead. There was aquaplaning. It was unfortunate that it was a disaster on the track."
Sergio Perez lost control of his Red Bull while attempting to reach the grid at the Belgian Grand Prix. Lars Baron/Getty Images
None of Hamilton's competitors disagreed with his decision to not race on Sunday. Many of them, however, were disappointed with the way the event turned out, just like Hamilton.
Before we get into the contentious issues like the half points, let's first look at the reasons why F1 seemed to be playing an impossible waiting match against Mother Nature on Sunday afternoon.
Racing was dangerous for the following reasons
Lewis Hamilton asked fans for a refund after Sunday's lack of racing action. Lars Baron/Getty Images
It was different from the rain that you could see through the Spa-Francorchamps media center's window. It was already heavy in morning and intensified after lunch, as the 3 p.m. local start time approached.
It would be an understatement of words to say that the TV images didn't do it justice. The rain had already started to blow sideways through the pit lane and paddock by the time the race was scheduled to begin. This was the case for most of the afternoon. There was one slight break in the rain, which we will discuss later.
McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo suggested later that it was best to start the race half an hour earlier than the scheduled time because conditions were better than for the rest. This is something we now know but didn't know back then. Sergio Perez from Red Bull lost control of the car while he was on his way to the Gird at 2:30 pm and crashed into a wall.
The rain didn't bother me as much as standing water at the track when 3 p.m. arrived. Modern F1 cars have a huge rear bumper, which means that the amount of water spraying out is enormous.
Lando Norris noted that the Mercedes Safety Car (a modified AMG GT R road vehicle) threw water behind it, in contrast to the 20 F1 cars following it. It was like a world of difference. The spray behind F1 cars at racing speed would have been even more.
Verstappen, who was in the pit-lane after three formation laps, stated that he felt the conditions were sufficient to start the race at 3:30 p.m. -- a sentiment he repeated after the race was abandoned at 6:44 pm.
Verstappen's 19 competitors were seeing things differently than the race leader. George Russell, second in the race, claimed that he couldn’t see the flashing red light at the back of Verstappen’s car.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz stated that he couldn't see beyond his steering wheel.
When Sainz was asked about Verstappen’s view, he said that "from pole position for certain you can start."
"From P11 there wasn't at any time during today, it was ready to start.
"Trust me, if they had the smallest window, I would have been on the radio first telling them to open."
Pierre Gasly, who came in fifth, said it best. Gasly began his weekend by visiting Raidillon and praying for Anthoine Hubert. Anthoine was killed in a Formula 2 accident at Spa in 2019. Juan Manuel Correa t-boned Hubert after he lost control of his car. Correa was unable to take any evasive action on one of the most fast sections of motor racing's race track.
Gasly suggested that F1 could be in trouble if it raced under those conditions.
Gasly stated that the problem was that you had to rely on everyone in front of you to keep you on track and travel at the same speed as you are going. If someone is stopped, then you can reach 200-250 km/h.
"Visibility was approximately 30 metres. There's no stopping the car once you can see it at 200-250. There have been so many horrible things on this track that we know it was best to not race.
Drivers are not the only ones at risk. Sebastian Vettel pointed out that while the safety of 20 drivers is one consideration, safety for fans is another.
Vettel stated, "No one wants anyone to be hurt."
"We don’t want anyone to get hurt in our car, and we don’t want any spectators getting hurt." This is always priority number 1. Although it's not an easy decision, it is probably the best decision given the current circumstances.
It was almost impossible for Michael Masi, FIA's race director, to decide whether racing is safe.
Masi was not only answering questions and fielding messages from F1's teams, but also studying weather radars in the hope of getting a chance to race again. F1 often finds a break in the weather or an opportunity during rainy Sundays. However, this time it was grim.
Several teams had previously told ESPN that their forecasts for the rain continued right through the race. F1's strict schedule makes this even more complicated. It doesn't allow for any flexibility in rescheduling to Mondays or later in the season. It was now or not.
A rare opportunity came up shortly after 6pm when the rain stopped over La Source, then the rest. The weather was calm for a few minutes, but it wasn't long. F1's Medical Car spent much of the time doing reconnaissance laps around the Spa circuit to check if the standing water had receded.
Rain had returned to intensify again by the time F1 got the race pack to "start" it. The rain would not let up, and the race was officially stopped after three laps behind Safety Car.
Did the "start" really represent a real attempt to race?
After three laps in front of the safety car, Max Verstappen won Belgium's Grand Prix. Joe Portlock – Formula 1 via Getty Images
Hamilton and Vettel were skeptical about the motives behind the brief flurry in track activity. Masi claimed that the cars were sent out in order to capitalize on what appeared to be a brief, but very real, break in the track conditions.
Vettel was questioning why F1 even tried to race cars on the race track before the first attempt at getting the race underway at 3 :25 p.m.
Vettel told Aston Martin that the formation laps would be behind the safety car and Vettel asked Aston Martin what the difference was. It's nothing.
"I think TV money is the difference. This is just an obvious statement. It's raining more in the last 20 minutes than ever before.
Hamilton agreed with Vettel.
Hamilton stated after the race, "Money talks" and that the two laps to begin the race were all a money scenario. "So everybody gets their money, and I think the fans deserve theirs too.
"Because they didn't see what they paid."
He later posted on social media that "We were sent out because of one reason and only" to hint at F1's commercial or financial obligations.
Stefano Domenicali, F1 boss, denied that this was the reason.
Domenicali stated about money, "Two laps versus zero laps. It doesn't matter in that regard."
"That's why I heard there were commercial discussions behind the scenes. That's completely false. Racing is about responsibility. There's a process.
"These are not related at all."
Masi answered a question about whether outside factors, such as commercial considerations, had influenced his decision.
"And that would never be part of my consideration. Not at all."
Half points
F1 even had a podium ceremony following the three-lap race. Dan Mullan/Getty Images
It was remarkable that many drivers who had earned points were opposed to it. Although Russell may be able to celebrate his maiden podium finish on Saturday, thanks to a stellar qualifying performance, many of his competitors found it hard to accept being rewarded for Sunday's zero racing laps.
Vettel laughed when it was suggested that the reward could be seen in qualifying well.
"If you want to be rewarded for qualifying, you should earn points [on Saturday].
"What have we done today?" "I don't know."
Sainz stated that two laps is an unacceptable minimum requirement for points.
Sainz stated that if the start was made solely with the intent of awarding points, then it would be absurd. "I don’t believe we should lap to alter the end result of a race.
"If the intention was to actually run and re-start the race, then it is okay. Which brings me to the next point: how far into the race do you consider it a race?
"If there weren't any race laps or competition, then why should points and results be given? Because there wasn't a race. I didn’t race so I don’t deserve half a point. So I don’t know why it was given to me."
McLaren boss Zak brown called for a review on the two-lap rule. He said F1 should look at flexible scheduling to allow for any last-minute contingency plans.
Brown stated that the regulations allow for a race to be declared after a few laps. I think this needs to be reviewed. While I think everyone would agree that the weather conditions were safe for racing in, we need a better solution to the sport of motorcycling when this happens.
"That's what the rules say, but we all need to review that and decide if we were given this situation, what would we do differently?
"It's a complicated schedule, but I don't believe anyone would call it a race today."
