Max Verstappen was left visibly frustrated and criticised the FIA’s decision to delay the start of the Belgian Grand Prix due to heavy rain. He called out the decision and said that everything was already prepared and weather would not be a hindrance as the tracks were “ready to go”.
The race was delayed by 1 hour and 20 minutes when a torrential downpour swept onto the track with seconds before lights out. After just one formation lap, the FIA deemed it unsafe to start because spray from the cars obscured the visibility. Spa is renowned for its fast circuit and tricky corners, which are hazardous enough even in dry conditions.
The circuit has been the location of two recent disasters, Anthoine Hubert in 2019 and Dilano van ‘t Hoff in 2023, emphasising the dangers involved. Verstappen, who had prepared his Red Bull for wet-weather racing, said that the drivers would have got used to it quickly after the lights went out and the water would have cleared as the cars went around.
Verstappen’s opinion was echoed by Lewis Hamilton, who also felt that even his car was suited for the wet conditions, but the FIA still waited for the track to dry.
“Three o’clock, straight away. It was not even raining. Between turn one and five there was quite a bit of water but if you do two or three laps behind the safety car, then it would have been a lot more clear, and the rest of the track was ready to go.” said Verstappen as mentioned by The Guardian
“I would agree [with Verstappen],” he said. “My car was set up for that [wet conditions], and they waited for it to dry. Especially at the end, it was a dry line with hardly any spray.” Lewis Hamilton supported Max Verstappen’s opinion
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took an indirect dig at the FIA and mentioned that “it is a bit of a shame for everyone” and there might not be any classic wet races any more.
“Of course at the end of the day they do what they want, right? I mean, they decide. I just find it is a bit of a shame for everyone, you will never see these classic kind of wet races any more,” he said.
