Verstappen wants to start the races earlier
If similar conditions to those of the Belgian Grand Prix were to occur again, Verstappen wants the races to start earlier instead of waiting for hours.
After the fiasco on Sunday, Max Verstappen won his sixth race of the season, bringing him within three points of Lewis Hamilton in the driver standings. The Dutchman needed to complete two laps behind the safety car to win. The difficult conditions during the Belgian Grand Prix did not allow Formula 1 to race properly. The track was very wet with poor visibility, preventing the drivers from racing. Apart from Verstappen, the others could see absolutely nothing.
In this kind of situation, the Red Bull driver would like the races to start earlier in the day, avoiding it getting worse over time. « When you start at 3 p.m. and you have days like this one, it may be better to start a little earlier, at 12 p.m. or 1 p.m. I think it’s a better time to start anyway. It just drags on and the weather gets worse and worse. It’s even getting dark », he explained.
Races in Europe usually start at 3:00 pm local time every Sunday. In case of force majeure, the FIA may in the future change the starting time as when the clock stopped in Belgium with one hour remaining.
Verstappen skeptical about returning to Belgium
During the press conference after the race, a journalist asked the drivers on the podium if they agreed to return to Belgium this season to compete again on the Spa-Francorchamps track. Verstappen is skeptical about rearranging the race, already considering that the season already has too many races. « We already have too many races. We should therefore choose the right tracks. To come back here this year, I don’t see that happening, especially when you already have 22 races ».
Lewis Hamilton, for his part, would come back without hesitation if there is a way to find a window: “I would come back without hesitation. I love being here, so if there was a way to find a window where it wasn’t raining and offer a free race to the fans, that would be great.” The same goes for George Russell, who celebrated his first podium in F1: “I wouldn’t mind coming back here. It’s one of the best races and circuits in the world,” said the Williams driver. For now, F1 has not yet made any statements on the matter as it tries to find a circuit to replace Australia. Qatar is the ideal candidate for now. However, it does not seem feasible to revisit Belgium this season.
