https://cdnimg.rg.ru/img/content/216/01/68/2_d_850.jpg

The weather allowed the riders to conduct training races and qualification. But on the day of the race, it started raining in the morning. As a result, the organizers postponed the start for 25 minutes: the cars, after driving two laps behind the safety car, returned to the pit lane, and the pilots left the cars. And it wasn’t even the amount of water on the track, but the poor visibility due to splashes.

According to the rules, the race must take place within three hours. But two hours later, the stewards decided to stop the countdown due to force majeure. Again, the cars went on the track only after more than an hour. And then, in fact, only to drive two laps behind the safety car: otherwise the race could not be recognized as having taken place.

Since the race was formally interrupted by red flags, the final protocol was formed based on the results of the first lap. This means that the distance of the Belgian race was only 6880 meters. And this is the shortest race in the history of Formula 1.

It turns out that the riders remained in the places they won in qualifying. The victory was celebrated by the Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, the second was the Briton George Russell on the Williams (he climbed the podium for the first time in his career), and the third place was taken by his compatriot from Mercedes Lewis Hamilton. The only thing, again according to the regulations, the riders who got into the top ten earned only half of the points from the maximum.

It is clear that the events in Belgium caused a mixed reaction among its participants. For example, the head of the McLaren team, Zach Brown, called for a review of the rules of the races held.

“Of course, this is a victory, but I wanted to win the race in a different way, ” Verstappen admitted, in turn. And Hamilton called the incident a “farce”, expressing the hope that fans will receive compensation for tickets. The audience, perhaps, turned out to be the most affected party this evening. They spent several hours in the stands in the rain and left, in fact, with nothing.

As for our Nikita Mazepin, who plays for Haas ,in the course of following the safety car, the Russian even managed to show the fastest lap, but since this lap was not included in the official protocol, Mazepin did not receive a point, which is due in such cases.

If Formula 1 Regrets The Belgium Grand Prix Farce, I Know A Way To Prove It https://t.co/fgjOWIZFdC pic.twitter.com/baYLr0m6GS