Hamilton in Spa. / Picture: APA / AFP / POOL / JOHN THYS
Lewis Hamilton reacted with incomprehension to the bizarre Formula 1 farce of Spa-Francorchamps. “We just don't convey good values when we sell such an appearance to the fans as a race,” said the angry record world champion after a memorable mini-trip in Belgium. A real Grand Prix was impossible due to continuous rain, instead, after two laps behind the safety car, Hamilton's title rival Max Verstappen was crowned the winner.
This questionable regulation triggered a lot of displeasure and discussions after a nerve-wracking day with a lot of waiting time. “Money makes the world go round”, judged Mercedes driver Hamilton, who after his third place narrowly defended the championship lead from Verstappen. “There was no moment here when this race could have been approved with a clear conscience,” added the 36-year-old Briton.
And was right. In the Ardennes it was raining incessantly before the planned start at 3 p.m., after hours of waiting nothing had changed until the desperate last attempt at 6:17 p.m. After two laps the race was canceled again and the shortest race in Formula 1 history, which at just under four hours lasted almost the longest, ended unsatisfactorily for everyone involved.
Alonso is also shocked
“That wasn't a Grand Prix. You just distributed the points like that. That's shocking,” said ex-world champion Fernando Alonso. The rule that half of the World Cup counters are already there after two laps have been completed, although the driver has never driven properly, must now be reconsidered. “As a sport, we need a better solution if such a situation occurs. The result shouldn't be a race over a few laps behind a safety car,” said McLaren boss Zak Brown: “We have to learn something from this for the future.”
The only right decision was that there was no real race on the demanding circuit. “The highest goal must be our safety,” said four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. In his Aston Martin, he finished fifth. There was no fight for positions in one day for the Formula 1 history books, instead the result of the qualification was also the final result. The cars are not built for heavy rain. “The limiting factor is the view,” said Vettel. For the pilots, because of the spray, the man in front was hardly recognizable.
There have been quite a few breaks in history. The fact that it couldn't really start because of bad weather is a novelty. “I have never experienced such persistently bad weather on a Sunday. The weather played a bad trick on us,” said race director Michael Masi from the FIA.
The master of the race day defended the decision to return to the slopes after waiting for hours. “Some teams saw a brightening, so we went out, but then the precipitation increased again,” said the Australian Masi, who didn't want to know anything about Kalkül either than Formula 1 boss Stefano Domenicali. “We get the entry fee, regardless of whether the Grand Prix is driven or not. It was all about the spectators here. We tried everything to offer them something,” said the Italian to the specialist magazine “Auto, Motor und Sport” .
A postponement to Monday was impossible in view of the tight schedule, as soon as next Sunday they will be driving again in nearby Zandvoort in the Netherlands. “The weather forecast is definitely better,” said Vettel, looking forward to the sun on the coast after a day that was not only cloudy from a meteorological point of view.
Money back?
The drivers felt particularly sorry for the 75,000 fans. For hours they stood in the pouring rain, were completely soaked and hoped for a competition, which however could not take place. Many in the paddock would have liked an earlier demolition because of this. Six to seven hours before the scheduled start, the grandstands were already filled, with many staying at 13 degrees and strong winds for ten hours or more. “I hope the fans get their money back,” said Hamilton. However, nothing could be heard in this direction.
At the end of an inglorious day, Verstappen got 12.5 instead of 25 points for his sixth win of the season, George Russell finished second for Williams for the first time on the podium and Hamilton got 7.5 points on the way to his eighth title. “We're not proud of this win,” said Verstappen, who is just three points behind Hamilton with ten races left. “Nobody will say that it is the right decision to call it a race,” said McLaren boss Brown: “I hope something like this will never happen again.”
