Can spectators of the Belgian Grand Prix get a refund?

This is the question that everyone is asking. For the 75,000 spectators present at Spa-Francorchamps, anger has replaced disappointment. 3 hours and 17 minutes, that’s the exact time the fans had to wait before the Belgian Grand Prix finally started. This fiasco will definitely go down in Formula 1 history.

Formula 1 is not responsible for the unpredictable weather. However, giving false hope to spectators about a possible race on Sunday afternoon when conditions were not going to improve, that is surely something they are responsible for. If it is not possible to postpone the race, money comes back into play. Some fans have spent hundreds, even thousands of euros to attend a non-race. They will not get this money back. After the race, Lewis Hamilton asked for spectators to be refunded: « We could refund them because there wasn’t really a race. […] What I understood is that if the race started, spectators would not be refunded. But I might be wrong »,” the British driver said. In a press conference, he even suggested that F1 should offer a free ticket to everyone present if the Spa-Francorchamps circuit were to return this season. « If there was a way to find a window where it wasn’t raining and offer a free race to fans, that would be great »,” he said. For now, it is not planned to see this famous circuit in 2021. As for the refund, it is just as complicated.

Starting with the high risk of having such weather at Spa-Francorchamps. This is not the first time this circuit has faced such conditions. We remember the chaos at the start in 1998. Fans, like the entire F1 staff, were aware of the risks of a shortened race. In any case, for the non-race of 2021, there would not have been a race. Conditions were deteriorating as time went on and the safety of the drivers was not guaranteed. Whether the Grand Prix started at 3pm or 6pm, the outcome would be the same.

A petition launched by the fans

In terms of waiting, it’s different. If Formula 1 is responsible for this long wait, it is not to blame for the rest. Stefano Domenicali, the president of Formula 1, responded to Hamilton by explaining that Formula 1 could not do much about the weather. « You pay for the ticket and then, that’s how it is. Ultimately, the organizer, with us, will consider maximum attention to the fans. The race is here. Officially, it’s a race. It’s about understanding what gesture of attention the organizer would like to make with the fans ».

« So far we have not received any information regarding the tickets, and a potential refund. We just see some rumors on social networks but no information email. » confirm some spectators present this Sunday at the Belgian Grand Prix.

On the organization side, the circuit director, Vanessa Maes, expressed her disappointment after all the work done over the past year to make this Grand Prix possible. While she shares the fans’ disappointment, she echoes Domenicali’s statement regarding the weather. “Everyone did their job, we had everything prepared, now the weather, no one is responsible,” she said to RTBF. However, she will initiate discussions regarding refunds. “We will discuss with the FOM how we can compensate our spectators after this force majeure.” A petition has also been launched by fans present at the event and has already gathered over 2,200 signatures.