If you can’t see, you can always lift

Max Verstappen has slammed Formula 1 race control’s decision to delay the Belgian Grand Prix’s start amid visibility concerns, which he felt penalised Red Bull’s switch to a wet set-up.

As a downpour hit Spa-Francorchamps before the start, race control decided to suspend the starting procedure after the formation lap due to concerns over limited visibility in the rain.

Further showers meant the start was delayed until 16:20 local time, 80 minutes after the original start time, while marshals worked to remove standing water.

After another four laps behind the safety car, drivers were released for a rolling start in good racing conditions, with the first cars moving to slick tyres a handful of laps later.

The decision to resume the race close to dry weather conditions backfired for Red Bull, which had made the conscious decision to pile on downforce anticipating a wet race.

It meant that both Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda were powerless to overtake cars in front as they lacked top speed on the run up to Turn 5.

After being stuck behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for 39 laps as he finished fourth, Verstappen was deeply frustrated by what he felt was his team being penalised for preparing for wet conditions.

“We made a choice with the set-up and they only allowed us to drive in almost slick conditions, so it was a bit disappointing,” he said, feeling race control overcompensated after it released cars too early during a wet British GP, which led to an unsighted Isack Hadjar crashing into Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Copse in heavy spray.

“Of course, we spoke after Silverstone to be a little bit more cautious with the decisions, but this was at the other extreme for me.

“It was a choice that we made with the set-up of the car, which was then the wrong one of course, because they didn’t allow us to race in the wet.

“Once we got to the dry tyres, we were just too slow on the straight. And then with the general balance problems that I already have with this car, it made everything just a bit worse.”

As a wet-weather specialist, Verstappen felt the track was close to being ready at the original start time, and he was critical of drivers urging race control to delay the start.

“Between Turn 1 and 5 there was quite a bit of water, but if you do two laps behind the safety car it would have been a lot more clear,” he said. “And the rest of the track was ready to go.

“The more you run, it will be much better. And if you can’t see, you can always lift. At one point you will see…

“Then it’s better to say: ‘You know what, let’s wait until it’s completely dry and then we just start on slicks.’ Because this is not really wet weather racing for me.

“At the end of the day, they do what they want, right? But I just find it a bit of a shame for everyone. You will never see these classic wet races anymore.”

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Carlos Sainz, Williams

Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images

Sainz: “It’s better to be safe than regretful”

Race control’s exercise of caution, at a high-speed track where Formula Regional driver Dilano van ‘t Hoff was killed two years ago after being collected by another car in heavy rain, was appreciated by other drivers, who disagreed with Verstappen’s opinion.

“On a normal track, yes, I think we could have started maybe 5-10 minutes earlier,” said Williams driver Carlos Sainz. “At Spa-Francorchamps and the history of this track, it’s better to be safe than have an accident and be regretful.

“You guys got to watch the full race, so I don’t think it was a bad call. A safe call, but my respect to the race director [Rui Marques] because he told us after the accidents in Silverstone that he would play it safer here and that’s what he did.”

Pierre Gasly lost his close friend Anthoine Hubert in an F2 crash at Spa six years ago, which occurred in the dry, but exposed the lack of visibility at the top of the Raidillon climb even in good conditions. The Alpine driver, who grabbed a point in 10th place, also respected race control’s decision making.

“When we started the first lap we couldn’t see a thing, so that was the right call to put out a red flag,” he said. “Then there was a big cloud coming. Was there a window for five minutes? Potentially, but I think they made the right choice.

“It’s always the same question. Could you restart the race 10 minutes earlier or later? I think at the end of the day, knowing the history of this track and what happens, as a driver you’d rather be 10 minutes too late than 10 minutes too early.”