This yr’s race at Spa will go down in historical past as the one F1 grand prix to contain no racing
Lewis Hamilton has criticised the aborted Belgian Grand Prix as “a farce” and accused System 1 of cynicism in the way in which it ran the rain-hit race.
Hamilton mentioned drivers have been despatched out for 2 laps behind the security automotive solely to safe an official outcome.
Writing on Instagram, he mentioned: “We should always have referred to as it quits, not risked drivers and most significantly refunded followers who’re the guts of our sport.”
He added: “There was no second at present once we would have been capable of race.”
F1 guidelines dictate the sector should full two racing laps for factors to be awarded.
Hamilton mentioned on Sky: “Cash talks. It was actually the 2 laps to start out the race. The game made a nasty alternative at present.”
Hamilton agreed circumstances made it not possible to carry the race due to poor visibility on the high-speed monitor, however he mentioned there was no purpose to ship the automobiles out once more as a result of circumstances had not improved.
George Russell claimed his first podium due to his sensational lap throughout Saturday qualifying
The race was delayed by half an hour from its scheduled begin time at 14:00 BST. The drivers then accomplished two laps at 14:30 BST earlier than being referred to as again to the pits.
There was then a delay of practically three hours earlier than two extra laps have been run behind the security automotive at 17:17 BST, after which the race was referred to as off.
Governing physique the FIA rejected Hamilton’s claims, saying the plan was to do the whole lot potential to attempt to run a race, with no different concerns.
Race director Michael Masi mentioned the automobiles have been despatched out the ultimate time “to see what the circumstances have been like”.
He added: “We have been all aiming for a window that we thought was there. There was a climate band the place we thought we might get some racing in. However you could have all seen how quickly the climate adjustments at this venue and the climate deteriorated so quickly that we could not.”
F1 mentioned in a press release that it was “disillusioned for all of the followers on the monitor and at dwelling”, including: “The climate circumstances sadly didn’t enhance sufficiently to finish extra laps.”
Hamilton likened the scenario to final yr’s cancelled Australian Grand Prix, when F1 flew to Melbourne because the coronavirus pandemic exploded internationally.
Hours earlier than the Australian occasion was cancelled, Hamilton expressed his “shock” that the game was holding the race and when requested why, he replied: “Money is king.”
On Sunday, he mentioned within the official information convention in Belgium: “Us being in Melbourne final yr, there are some similarities to how at present’s gone down, however no less than everybody’s secure.
“I do not know all of the politics within the background, however my greatest concern is the followers in all probability ought to get their a reimbursement and, I do not know if, by doing these two laps means they do not. We have now higher values than that as a sport.”
McLaren Racing chief government officer Zak Brown mentioned F1 wanted to “evaluation” the scenario and added: “We’d like a greater resolution as a sport.
“I do not assume anybody would say at present it felt proper calling {that a} race.”
The principles say half factors are awarded if no less than two laps and fewer than 75% race distance are accomplished.
Pink Bull’s Max Verstappen was declared winner of the race forward of Williams driver George Russell and Hamilton. Verstappen minimize Hamilton’s championship result in three factors and Russell scored his first podium end on account of his outstanding efficiency in ending second in qualifying on Saturday.
Query marks over the awards of factors
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso mentioned it was mistaken to award factors when there had been no racing.
“For a few of them it was a bit little bit of an early Christmas,” he mentioned, “as a result of there have been some presents given at present with some folks, as a result of we did not race however you continue to get the place and the factors. It’s a little bit stunning.”
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, who was fifth, was one in all numerous different drivers who agreed. “It clearly was no race so we should always not have factors”, the German added, including that receiving factors felt “actually odd”.
Alonso was one in all many drivers to specific their sympathy for the followers, who have been out for hours in horrible climate and didn’t see a grand prix.
“It’s unhappy for the folks,” he mentioned. “With this climate they’ve been all the time supporting and, after this pandemic, now to see them is so good and if you may give them nothing it’s terribly unhappy. A really unusual day at present.”
Visibility was a relentless subject as drivers tried to observe the security automotive across the circuit
Drivers unanimous on resolution to not race
All of the drivers agreed circumstances had been too harmful to race.
Verstappen mentioned: “It simply did not really feel proper. The followers in all probability will not agree with what occurred at present however you simply have to consider security on the finish.
“When you possibly can’t see the place you are going and you’ll’t see the place the automotive forward of you is, you possibly can’t race like that.”
Hamilton added: “I could not go flat out down the straight as a result of I had no concept the place George was. Eau Rouge was fairly tough and the worst factor can be if we had a crash like with Lando [Norris] yesterday and we would not have been capable of see of there was a driver in the midst of the street.”
Russell mentioned: “We could as nicely have been driving up the straights with our eyes closed at factors as a result of that is how it might have been at a race begin and it might have been chaos.”
