Belgian Grand Prix: Summary of a fiasco

To say it’s raining at Spa-Francorchamps is an understatement. But the FIA clearly did not expect to experience such a day. This day will now be etched in memory as the shortest Grand Prix in F1 history.

A chaotic afternoon

Only two laps crowned Max Verstappen for his sixth victory of the season, also offering George Russell his first F1 podium with his Williams. A chaotic afternoon that should have ended more quickly. Originally, the race was supposed to start at 3 pm local time. Torrential downpours and poor visibility led to several delays. Starting with five-minute delays, then ten minutes before the FIA realized that the weather was not going to improve.

While the drivers kept themselves busy as best they could, the weather radar was not showing anything good and the rain was intensifying. Yet, Michael Masi continued to believe in it. At least for the spectators who had come to watch the race. Everyone waited in the downpour with umbrellas, without giving up. In the meantime, the medical vehicle was performing laps to see if the track was finally drivable. If even this car was struggling a bit to stay on track, one could not imagine F1 cars racing at high speeds.

At 6:27 PM, a little over three hours after the scheduled time, the drivers finally took to the track. The FIA’s objective was to complete a few laps with the safety car to ensure at least the race, just to say that the race did take place. The qualifying rankings were taken into account. Only Sergio Perez did not benefit from the points given at the end. The Mexican destroyed the front of his car before the start, temporarily disqualifying him from the Grand Prix. Although his mechanics did an excellent job repairing his car, the Red Bull driver finished last.

Surprising decisions

Taking three hours to start the race, the choice to wait was incomprehensible on the part of the FIA. A last-minute decision that raises several questions. Why make several delays knowing that the situation was not going to improve as the rain did not decrease in intensity and visibility was lower? As Masi indicated after the race, the weather was not improving over time. However, he hoped for a window to send out the cars. « It was a long day. In fact, we had the worst of the weather. Conditions were not excellent all weekend. We had moments where we could do a few laps, but the weather got the better of us ». What’s the point? If the final ranking is determined by the qualifications, it is better to react more quickly.

How to qualify this parody? The race director got everything wrong during that day. Hiding behind a regulation to start a non-race ridicules this sport in front of the whole world. According to the FIA, half of the points will be awarded if the leader has completed more laps, but less than 75% of the initial distance of the race, like Verstappen in Belgium. Masi was already at fault for not stopping Q3 under the downpours on Saturday. A decision that could have turned into a tragedy with Lando Norris’ crash at Raidillon. A few seconds earlier, Sebastian Vettel, and even the Briton, were calling for the red flag. Deciding to keep the race the next day when conditions would be worse is disgraceful.

Lewis Hamilton, third in the GP, did not mince his words after the race. He criticized the decision to send the drivers on the track, judging that money made the difference. This farce was the wrong choice. Money spoke. These two laps to start the race is a scenario for money. Statements contradicted by Stefano Domenicali, the president of F1: When I hear it said that there were commercial discussions behind this, it is totally false.

Never in the history of Formula 1 has a Grand Prix been canceled on the day of the race. In any case, the race could not take place. The safety of the drivers above all, they could not see anything on the track. The decision to cancel the race probably had to be made after an hour, or even earlier. Thinking of starting it without the safety car was a total absurdity. There was even talk of rescheduling the race for Monday, but that would not have been possible for several reasons, the main one being financial. Many track marshals, most of whom are volunteers, and logistics. Worse, according to forecasts, the weather was not ideal for racing.

Half points given to the top 10

But in this whole comedy, a podium and a final ranking were necessary. Completing laps was therefore mandatory. Waiting for three hours was less logical and giving half points may seem strange given the situation. Giving half points in F1 is possible. In the past, certain races had already awarded half the points for the same reasons. In Australia in 1991, Ayrton Senna won the Grand Prix after only 14 laps. More recently, Jenson Button in Malaysia in 2009.

Not all drivers were aware of the rules. Sebastian Vettel thought it was a joke at the end of the race: “It’s a joke. I thought you had to complete 25% of the race to get points.” Fernando Alonso expressed a similar sentiment. The two-time world champion doesn’t understand the point of awarding points in this context: “It’s shocking. How can you give points for a non-race?” Alonso said after the race.

If the title could be decided by half a point at the end of the season, this Grand Prix and especially this decision may come back to haunt. Last year, the Belgian race took place without spectators. This year, it happened without a driver. Hopefully, the FIA and F1 will learn from this farce.