Szafnauer (Aston Martin) understands the anger of the spectators of the Belgian GP
Otmar Szafnauer understands the frustration of the spectators of the Belgian Grand Prix. However, he admits that F1 could not do anything about the weather. He hoped for a better result for his drivers after an interesting weekend.
While sports commissioners were desperately looking for a window to start the Belgian Grand Prix, spectators waited for over three hours in the rain before seeing the drivers complete two laps behind the safety car.
The fans took action the day after this fiasco, even signing a petition to get a reaction from F1. While Lewis Hamilton asked after the race that the fans be refunded, Otmar Szafnauer, the director of the Aston Martin team, understands their anger but points out that F1 could not do anything about the unpredictable weather.
« I would be understanding. It’s not for me to say, but the spectators came to see a car race, and we didn’t quite deliver that. It’s not our fault, we can’t control the weather.
As fans waited in a downpour, sports commissioners did everything they could to start the race. Yet, the weather radars did not predict a return to normalcy. Szafnauer compares the situation to the one in 1998 with the accident between Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard.
» They did everything to make this race possible, but it was not a feasible race. Visibility at the back was not good enough. And we saw similar conditions in 1998. There was a huge accident between Schumacher and Coulthard. This race took place, but the visibility was so poor that they crossed paths at high speed. So it was the right decision to make.
F1 has just responded via a statement that it was working with the promoter of the Belgian Grand Prix to find options for ticket holders.
Szafnauer frustrated that the race didn’t take place
Aston Martin had a good weekend at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. After a good qualifying session, Sebastian Vettel started fifth in the race. He will finish in the same position for the reasons we know. The team’s director believes that the four-time world champion could have climbed to third place if the race had taken place.
We had a very good car and unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to show it. I think that even Lance, starting where he started, would have scored points and Vettel would have had a good chance to get on the podium. It’s hard to predict.
The English team is still lagging behind its competitors. Currently seventh with 53 points behind AlphaTauri, Vettel and Stroll will have to double their efforts to obtain valuable points during the rest of the season.
