The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2021) was a
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
motor race held on 29 August 2021 at the
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), informally referred to as Spa, is a Race track, motor-racing circuit located in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium, about southeast of Spa, Belgium, Spa. It is the current venue of the Formula One ...
. It was the 12th round of the
2021 Formula One World Championship
The 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship was a List of motorsport championships, motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 72nd running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the Fédération Internat ...
. The race was also the 77th overall running of the
Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix (; ; ) is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship.
The first national race of Belgium was held in 1925 at the Spa region's race course, an area of the country that had been associated ...
, the 66th time the event was run as part of the
Formula One World Championship
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the wor ...
, and the 54th World Championship Belgian Grand Prix held at the Spa circuit. The race was won by
Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
, ahead of
George Russell and
Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
.
The race was planned to run for 44 laps, but ended during the third lap due to wet conditions. Laps one and two took place behind the
safety car
In motorsport, a safety car, or a pace car, is a car that limits the speed of competing cars or motorcycles on a racetrack in the case of a ''caution period,'' such as an obstruction on the track or bad weather. The safety car aims to enable the ...
before a
red flag stopped the race on lap three. The sporting regulations required the results be taken from the end of lap one, with half points given to drivers who finished in the top 10 positions as less than 75% of the originally scheduled race distance had been completed.
As of , it holds the record for the shortest Formula One World Championship race in terms of distance () and number of laps raced (1). This beats the previous short-distance record of set at the
1991 Australian Grand Prix
The 1991 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 3 November 1991 at the Adelaide Street Circuit. It was the 16th and final race of the 1991 Formula One World Championship. Torrential rain resulted in the race being stopped a ...
and the fewest laps record, 12, set at the
1971 German Grand Prix
The 1971 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 1 August 1971. It was race 7 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.
The race returned to ...
. The race was also marked the first time since the
2009 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix (formally the 2009 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 5 April 2009 at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia. It was the second race of the 2009 FIA Formula ...
that half points were awarded, the sixth time this occurred in Formula One. Regulation changes for the 2022 season meant that half-points could no longer be awarded in subsequent seasons. The decision to run two laps behind the safety car and red flagging the race on lap three stirred much controversy. The FIA and then race director
Michael Masi
Michael Fausto Masi (born 8 June 1978) is an Australian motorsports official. Masi served as Formula One race director from 2019 to 2021. In this role, Masi oversaw the logistics of a Formula One racing weekend, ensuring all cars, tracks, and ...
were criticised by media, fans, teams and drivers for their decision-making during the weekend, and particularly on race day.
This was the only World Championship race not to have any running under full green flag conditions. The lack of green flag running led many commentators to question the validity and sporting integrity of officially classifying and awarding points when the only laps completed were behind the safety car with no overtaking permitted. Some commentators and competitors accused Formula One of putting commercial interests above those of paying spectators and fans in general by not abandoning the event with no race result, and not giving spectators a partial ticket refund. Other commentators and competitors felt the awarding of half points was justified to reward competitors who had qualified well, even if the race scenario was not ideal.
In response to the negative reactions, the sport set about finding suitable methods of preventing a repeat scenario. It was decided to change the sporting regulations, which from 2022 onwards state a race must involve a minimum of two laps under green flag without a safety car or virtual safety car for points to be awarded. Subsequent changes in point structure for shortened races from 2022 meant that reduced points would be awarded to fewer drivers (depending on distance covered) in cases where a race ends under a red flag. Following confusion over how points were awarded at the subsequent
2022 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Honda Japanese Grand Prix 2022) was a Formula One motor race held on 9 October 2022 at the Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka, Japan. Max Verstappen won the race finishin ...
this regulation was tweaked further for 2023 to ensure that amount of points allocated purely based on percentage distance raced irrespective of whether a race finishes under red or green flag conditions. Additionally, since 2022, Formula One has been exploring how to improve the raceability of cars in wet conditions in an attempt to reduce the need for safety cars and red flags in wet conditions. In 2023 Pirelli announced they have introduced a new Full Wet tyre compound to improve racing conditions during wet conditions, not requiring tire blankets. This new blanketless full wet was raced for the first time at the
2023 Monaco Grand Prix. Pirelli has also subsequently proposed the addition of either a third wet weather tyre compound be added to their tyre range or to be introduced as a single wet tyre with improved performance and consistency across different levels of on track wetness- to help improve racing in wet conditions. However an attempt to introduce 'spray guards' to help achieve this objective was unsuccessful and has subsequently been abandoned.
Background
The event, which was held over the weekend of 27–29 August at the
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (), informally referred to as Spa, is a Race track, motor-racing circuit located in Francorchamps, Stavelot, Wallonia, Belgium, about southeast of Spa, Belgium, Spa. It is the current venue of the Formula One ...
, was the 12th round of the
2021 Formula One World Championship
The 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship was a List of motorsport championships, motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 72nd running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the Fédération Internat ...
after a four-week summer break. It marked the sixty-sixth time the
Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix (; ; ) is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship.
The first national race of Belgium was held in 1925 at the Spa region's race course, an area of the country that had been associated ...
appeared on the season calendar. It rained throughout the weekend which excited some drivers.
Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher (; born 22 March 1999) is a German racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Alpine. Schumacher competed in Formula One from to .
Born and raised in Switzerland, Schumacher is the son of seven-ti ...
stated that he was "looking forward to getting onto some rain", while
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (; born 13 November 1999) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for McLaren. Norris was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with McLaren, and has won Formula One Grands Prix, Grands Prix ...
said that he was "hoping for a bit of rain" in the race.
Nikita Mazepin
Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin ( rus, Ники́та Дми́триевич Мазе́пин, p=nʲɪˈkʲitə ˈdmʲɪtrʲɪjɪvʲɪtɕ mɐˈzʲepʲɪn; born 2 March 1999) is a Russian racing driver and motorsport executive, who most recently comp ...
stated that he "hope
it's dry."
This Grand Prix was the first to enforce article 12.8.4 of Formula One technical regulations, which stated "devices which are used to fit or remove wheel fasteners may only be powered by compressed air or nitrogen. Any sensor systems may only act passively." Wheel guns came with sensors that informed mechanics when the wheel was securely fastened. Some teams designed their wheel guns to send this signal in anticipation of the wheel being fastened, mitigating reaction time and resulting in quicker service. The governing body deemed this practice unsafe, as it meant cars were potentially released from the pit stop without the wheels being securely fastened. The new technical directive banned this practice and new tolerance parameters were introduced to enforce the rule. A 0.15 second period between the tyres being securely fastened and the dropping of the jack, and a 0.2 second period from the dropping of the jack to the car being released by the pit crew. This made any benefits of the outlawed practices obsolete. In a further clarification, it was revealed the FIA could ensure adherence to the new tolerance limits by using an intelligent wheel gun. The change was originally planned for the
Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungarian Grand Prix (, ) is a motor racing event held annually in Mogyoród at the Hungaroring. Since 1986, the race has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
History Origins
The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held on ...
, but was postponed to this race.
Championship standings before the race
Following the
2021 Hungarian Grand Prix one month earlier,
Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
led the
Drivers' Championship by 8 points from
Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
.
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (; born 13 November 1999) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for McLaren. Norris was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with McLaren, and has won Formula One Grands Prix, Grands Prix ...
,
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Viktor Bottas (; born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver, who serves as a reserve driver in Formula One for Mercedes. Bottas competed in Formula One from to , and twice finished runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship in ...
and
Sergio Pérez
Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza (; born 26 January 1990) is a Mexican racing driver, who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Pérez was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Red Bull, and won Gr ...
were third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
Mercedes led the
Constructors' Championship by 12 points from
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing, currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing and also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, competing under an Austrian racing licence and based in ...
.
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari (; ), currently racing under Scuderia Ferrari HP, is the racing division of luxury Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari and the racing team that competes in Formula One racing. The team is also known by the nickname "the Pranc ...
were third and
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
fourth, each with 163 points (140 points behind Mercedes).
Entrants
The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race. The entry list contained five former winners of the Belgian Grand Prix, these being
Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
(with wins in
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
,
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
and
2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
),
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "the Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One ...
(with wins in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
,
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
,
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
and
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
),
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Vettel won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from to with Red Bull, and rema ...
(with wins in
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
and
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
),
Charles Leclerc
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...
(who won in
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
) and
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ( , ; born 1 July 1989) is an Australian racing driver, who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Ricciardo won eight Formula One Grands Prix across 14 seasons.
Born and raised in Perth to Italian-Australi ...
(who won in
2014
The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
) for whom this race was also a 200th Grand Prix start.
Tyre choices
Sole tyre supplier Pirelli allocated the
C2, C3, and C4 compounds of tyre to be used in the race.
Penalties
After causing collisions at the previous race,
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Viktor Bottas (; born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver, who serves as a reserve driver in Formula One for Mercedes. Bottas competed in Formula One from to , and twice finished runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship in ...
and
Lance Stroll
Lance Strulovitch (; born 29 October 1998), commonly known as Lance Stroll (), is a Canadian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin.
Born and raised in Montreal, Stroll is the son of billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll ...
each received a five-place grid penalty for the Grand Prix.
Practice
Free practice 1 took place on 27 August at 11:30
CEST and ended without major incident.
Yuki Tsunoda
is a Japanese racing driver who competes in Formula One for Red Bull Racing.
Born in Sagamihara and raised in Tokyo, Tsunoda began competitive kart racing aged nine. Supported by Honda since 2016 through the , Tsunoda graduated to junior formu ...
and
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "the Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One ...
spun at La Source in separate incidents. Räikkönen also hit the inside pit wall, ending his session.
Charles Leclerc
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...
ran wide at turn 7, but was able to recover without incident. The
Mercedes of
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Viktor Bottas (; born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver, who serves as a reserve driver in Formula One for Mercedes. Bottas competed in Formula One from to , and twice finished runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship in ...
was fastest, followed by
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing, currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing and also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, competing under an Austrian racing licence and based in ...
's
Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
, and
Scuderia AlphaTauri
Scuderia AlphaTauri S.p.A, or simply AlphaTauri, was an Italian Formula One racing team and constructor that competed from to . It was one of two Formula One constructors owned by Austrian conglomerate Red Bull GmbH, the other being Red Bull ...
's
Pierre Gasly
Pierre Jean-Jacques Gasly (; born 7 February 1996) is a French racing driver who competes in Formula One for Alpine. Gasly won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix with AlphaTauri.
Born and raised in Normandy, Gasly began competitive kart racing age ...
. Championship leader
Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
finished in 18th, after his lap was impeded by a slow
Nicholas Latifi
Nicholas Daniel Latifi (; born 29 June 1995) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to .
Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Latifi is the son of Iranian Canadians, Iranian-Canadian billionaire businessman ...
.
Free practice 2 took place at 15:00 CEST on the same day. The session was interrupted by two incidents, both resulting in
red flags. First, Leclerc lost control over the rear end on the exit of Les Combes and crashed into the wall, ending his session. Verstappen had an incident at Malmedy, also losing control of the rear and hitting the wall.
Esteban Ocon
Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane (; born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who competes in Formula One for Haas F1 Team, Haas. Ocon won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine F1 Team, Alpine.
Born and raised in Normandy to ...
also spun, but was able to recover and return to the pits. Verstappen finished fastest, with Bottas in second and Hamilton in third.
Free practice 3 took place on 28 August at 12:00 CEST.
The final practice session ended with no major incidents, but saw many drivers sliding off the track. Bottas,
Nikita Mazepin
Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin ( rus, Ники́та Дми́триевич Мазе́пин, p=nʲɪˈkʲitə ˈdmʲɪtrʲɪjɪvʲɪtɕ mɐˈzʲepʲɪn; born 2 March 1999) is a Russian racing driver and motorsport executive, who most recently comp ...
,
George Russell,
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Vettel won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from to with Red Bull, and rema ...
, and
Carlos Sainz Jr. all went off during FP3. Räikkönen finished his session early when his brakes failed—he managed to recover to the pits but didn't come back out. Gasly also spun. The Red Bulls took first and second, with Verstappen beating teammate Pérez, while Hamilton finished third.
Qualifying
Qualifying took place on 28 August and was due to start at 15:00
CEST.
Due to extreme rainfall, the start was delayed to 15:12. Everyone started on the full wet tyres, except for
George Russell and
Nicholas Latifi
Nicholas Daniel Latifi (; born 29 June 1995) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to .
Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Latifi is the son of Iranian Canadians, Iranian-Canadian billionaire businessman ...
, who were first and second after the first qualifying laps. Everyone then fitted the intermediate tyres. The first session ended with
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (; born 13 November 1999) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for McLaren. Norris was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with McLaren, and has won Formula One Grands Prix, Grands Prix ...
in first,
Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
in second, and
Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
in third.
Nikita Mazepin
Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin ( rus, Ники́та Дми́триевич Мазе́пин, p=nʲɪˈkʲitə ˈdmʲɪtrʲɪjɪvʲɪtɕ mɐˈzʲepʲɪn; born 2 March 1999) is a Russian racing driver and motorsport executive, who most recently comp ...
,
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "the Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One ...
,
Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher (; born 22 March 1999) is a German racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Alpine. Schumacher competed in Formula One from to .
Born and raised in Switzerland, Schumacher is the son of seven-ti ...
,
Yuki Tsunoda
is a Japanese racing driver who competes in Formula One for Red Bull Racing.
Born in Sagamihara and raised in Tokyo, Tsunoda began competitive kart racing aged nine. Supported by Honda since 2016 through the , Tsunoda graduated to junior formu ...
, and
Antonio Giovinazzi
Antonio Maria Giovinazzi (; born 14 December 1993) is an Italian racing driver, who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Ferrari. Giovinazzi competed in Formula One between and . In endurance racing, Giovinazzi won the 24 Hour ...
were eliminated from the remainder of qualifying.
All drivers completed the second session on intermediate tyres. Norris once again was first, with Hamilton second and
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Viktor Bottas (; born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver, who serves as a reserve driver in Formula One for Mercedes. Bottas competed in Formula One from to , and twice finished runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship in ...
third.
Lance Stroll
Lance Strulovitch (; born 29 October 1998), commonly known as Lance Stroll (), is a Canadian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin.
Born and raised in Montreal, Stroll is the son of billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll ...
,
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin in Formula One, Aston Martin. Alonso has won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with ...
,
Carlos Sainz Jr.,
Nicholas Latifi
Nicholas Daniel Latifi (; born 29 June 1995) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to .
Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Latifi is the son of Iranian Canadians, Iranian-Canadian billionaire businessman ...
, and
Charles Leclerc
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...
were eliminated from the remainder of qualifying. The third segment of qualifying started with worsening rain. Immediately, drivers were calling for a delayed session or red flag. Norris soon
aquaplaned at
Eau Rouge
The Eau Rouge is a small, stream in the Belgian province of Liège. It is a right tributary of the Amblève.
It starts in the Hautes Fagnes ("High Fens") and ends in Challes, near Stavelot in the river Amblève. The French words mean "re ...
resulting in a heavy crash at Raidillon and a red flag.
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Vettel won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from to with Red Bull, and rema ...
stopped at the scene to check on Norris after complaining over the radio about the dangerous conditions. Verstappen took pole on his final lap, with
George Russell in second, and Hamilton third. Russell secured
Williams Racing
Williams Racing, legally known as Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited and competing as Atlassian Williams Racing, is a British Formula One team and constructor. It was founded by Frank Williams (1942–2021) and Patrick Head. The team w ...
's first front row start since the
2017 Italian Grand Prix, and equalled his career-best start, it remained his best start until he achieved pole at the
2022 Hungarian Grand Prix. Norris was cleared for Sunday's race after precautionary checks and an
X-ray
An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...
following his Q3 crash. After the Grand Prix, race director
Michael Masi
Michael Fausto Masi (born 8 June 1978) is an Australian motorsports official. Masi served as Formula One race director from 2019 to 2021. In this role, Masi oversaw the logistics of a Formula One racing weekend, ensuring all cars, tracks, and ...
admitted it was a mistake to let the third segment of qualifying start on time.
Qualifying classification
; Notes
* –
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Viktor Bottas (; born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver, who serves as a reserve driver in Formula One for Mercedes. Bottas competed in Formula One from to , and twice finished runner-up in the World Drivers' Championship in ...
and
Lance Stroll
Lance Strulovitch (; born 29 October 1998), commonly known as Lance Stroll (), is a Canadian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin.
Born and raised in Montreal, Stroll is the son of billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll ...
both received five-place grid penalties for causing collisions at the
previous round.
* –
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (; born 13 November 1999) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for McLaren. Norris was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with McLaren, and has won Formula One Grands Prix, Grands Prix ...
received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.
* –
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "the Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One ...
was required to start the race from the pit lane for a rear wing change.
Race
Race report
Start delays
The race was due to start at 15:00
CEST on 29 August but was delayed multiple times due to persistent rain.
Sergio Pérez
Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza (; born 26 January 1990) is a Mexican racing driver, who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Pérez was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Red Bull, and won Gr ...
was initially not expected to start the race after he crashed on his way to the grid.
However, despite the
FIA race director
Michael Masi
Michael Fausto Masi (born 8 June 1978) is an Australian motorsports official. Masi served as Formula One race director from 2019 to 2021. In this role, Masi oversaw the logistics of a Formula One racing weekend, ensuring all cars, tracks, and ...
initially suggesting to the contrary, Pérez was allowed by race officials to join the race after the
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing, currently competing as Oracle Red Bull Racing and also known simply as Red Bull or RBR, is a Formula One racing team, List of Formula One constructors#Team's nationality, competing under an Austrian racing licence and based in ...
mechanics were able to repair Pérez's car during the delay following the first red flag. A first attempt was made to start the race at 15:25 CEST, with two formation laps (that did not count towards a race classification) being completed behind the
safety car
In motorsport, a safety car, or a pace car, is a car that limits the speed of competing cars or motorcycles on a racetrack in the case of a ''caution period,'' such as an obstruction on the track or bad weather. The safety car aims to enable the ...
before the starting procedure was suspended with cars queueing in the pit lane, in line with the regulations. At 17:00 CEST, the stewards used the powers given to them under article 11.9.3.o of the 2021 edition of the FIA International Sporting Code (which allowed the stewards to permanently or temporarily stop an event) to suspend the race clock on grounds of ''
force majeure
In contract law, force majeure ( ; ) is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as a war, strike, riot, ...
''.
Race start and finish
After over three hours of delays and suspended starts, at 18:17 CEST the race officially commenced from the pit lane and two more laps were completed under the safety car, with these laps being considered as race laps by race control, which allowed for the results to be classified and half points to be awarded. During the third lap, the race was suspended again and the race not resumed. The race result was taken after the first lap, in compliance with Formula One regulations which required a two-lap countback.
Max Verstappen
Max Emilian Verstappen (; born 30 September 1997) is a Dutch and Belgian racing driver who competes under the Dutch flag in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Verstappen has won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he w ...
was declared the race winner (scoring his 16th career F1 win and sixth win of the season as a result) ahead of
George Russell in second and
Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...
third. The remaining points scorers were
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ( , ; born 1 July 1989) is an Australian racing driver, who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Ricciardo won eight Formula One Grands Prix across 14 seasons.
Born and raised in Perth to Italian-Australi ...
in fourth,
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Vettel won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from to with Red Bull, and rema ...
in fifth,
Pierre Gasly
Pierre Jean-Jacques Gasly (; born 7 February 1996) is a French racing driver who competes in Formula One for Alpine. Gasly won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix with AlphaTauri.
Born and raised in Normandy, Gasly began competitive kart racing age ...
in sixth,
Esteban Ocon
Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane (; born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who competes in Formula One for Haas F1 Team, Haas. Ocon won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine F1 Team, Alpine.
Born and raised in Normandy to ...
in seventh,
Charles Leclerc
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...
in eighth,
Nicholas Latifi
Nicholas Daniel Latifi (; born 29 June 1995) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to .
Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Latifi is the son of Iranian Canadians, Iranian-Canadian billionaire businessman ...
in ninth and
Carlos Sainz Jr. in tenth. Verstappen's win was Red Bull Racing's fourth Belgian Grand Prix win and their first at the venue since Ricciardo's 2014 win as well as the first F1 win at Spa for a Honda powered car since
the 1991 event. With only a single official lap completed, and an official completed distance of , it is the shortest ever race in the history of the sport, eclipsing the previous records set in terms of kilometres of distance covered at the
1991 Australian Grand Prix
The 1991 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 3 November 1991 at the Adelaide Street Circuit. It was the 16th and final race of the 1991 Formula One World Championship. Torrential rain resulted in the race being stopped a ...
(which was raced over and 14 laps) and in terms of official lap count at the
1971 German Grand Prix
The 1971 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Nürburgring on 1 August 1971. It was race 7 of 11 in both the 1971 World Championship of Drivers and the 1971 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.
The race returned to ...
(which lasted 12 laps). For the sixth time in Formula One history and for the first time since the
2009 Malaysian Grand Prix
The 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix (formally the 2009 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 5 April 2009 at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia. It was the second race of the 2009 FIA Formula ...
, half points were awarded. Russell's second place was his first career podium and the first for the
Williams Racing
Williams Racing, legally known as Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited and competing as Atlassian Williams Racing, is a British Formula One team and constructor. It was founded by Frank Williams (1942–2021) and Patrick Head. The team w ...
team since
Lance Stroll
Lance Strulovitch (; born 29 October 1998), commonly known as Lance Stroll (), is a Canadian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin.
Born and raised in Montreal, Stroll is the son of billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll ...
finished third for the team at the
2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Stroll finished this race 18th on the road but was classified in 20th, having been handed a 10-second time penalty for a rear wing change under
parc fermé
''Parc fermé'', literally meaning "closed park" in French, is a secure area at a motor racing circuit where the cars are kept at some times during a race meeting in order to prevent modifications.
Area
According to the FIA Formula One regulati ...
conditions during the first red flag period. This promoted
Kimi Räikkönen
Kimi-Matias Räikkönen (; born 17 October 1979), nicknamed "the Iceman", is a Finnish racing driver who competed in Formula One between 2001 and 2021 for Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo. Räikkönen won the 2007 Formula One ...
to 18th and Pérez to 19th.
Charles Leclerc
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...
was investigated for a change of tyres during the start delays but was not penalised as the change was quickly reversed. , this race is the only World Championship Grand Prix where there is no officially recognised fastest lap. This was the eleventh Formula One World Championship Grand Prix where there were no retirements during the race, and the 12th World Championship Grand Prix to finish under the safety car.
Race classification
; Notes
* – Half points were awarded, as less than 75% of the race distance was completed.
* –
Sergio Pérez
Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza (; born 26 January 1990) is a Mexican racing driver, who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Pérez was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Red Bull, and won Gr ...
's grid position was left vacant due to an accident that occurred when he was making his way to the grid. Once his mechanics repaired his car, he was allowed to start the race from the pit lane.
* –
Lance Stroll
Lance Strulovitch (; born 29 October 1998), commonly known as Lance Stroll (), is a Canadian racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin.
Born and raised in Montreal, Stroll is the son of billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll ...
finished 18th on track, but received a post-race 10-second time penalty for a rear wing change during the red flag period.
Post-race reactions
In addition to admitting to making mistakes on qualifying day, Masi also faced criticism from drivers, teams and media for how he ran the race. On race day, due to poor weather and after numerous delays, Masi made the decision to run two full laps behind the safety car before abandoning the race on the third lap, which Masi said was a genuine attempt to go racing. Media and drivers criticised Masi's decision to hold two laps under the safety car in still-raining conditions,
with seven-time World Champion Hamilton calling the race "a farce" and criticised, among others, the alleged attempt to fulfill the requirements for awarding points. They argued that points should never have been awarded.
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Vettel won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from to with Red Bull, and rema ...
,
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz (; born 29 July 1981) is a Spanish racing driver who competes in Formula One for Aston Martin in Formula One, Aston Martin. Alonso has won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with ...
, and
Alfa Romeo Racing
Italian motor manufacturer Alfa Romeo has participated multiple times in Formula One. The brand has competed in motor racing as both a constructor and engine supplier sporadically between and , and later as a commercial partner between and . ...
criticised the decision to award half points for the race.
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ( , ; born 1 July 1989) is an Australian racing driver, who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Ricciardo won eight Formula One Grands Prix across 14 seasons.
Born and raised in Perth to Italian-Australi ...
defended the decision to do so, as did Red Bull's Pérez. Ricciardo's
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
teammate
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (; born 13 November 1999) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for McLaren. Norris was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with McLaren, and has won Formula One Grands Prix, Grands Prix ...
was left conflicted by the FIA's decision to award points since this benefited his fellow driver but thought it was not a race "deserving of points". Verstappen commented that it was not "the way you want to win". Russell was pleased to achieve his first Formula One podium despite the unusual circumstances, saying: "You don't get rewarded for this very often." He added that he had been rewarded for a strong qualifying on Saturday, whilst also sympathising with, and apologising to, the attending fans for the lack of action in the Grand Prix itself. Despite his driver winning the event, Red Bull team principal
Christian Horner
Christian Edward Johnston Horner (born 16 November 1973) is a British motorsport executive and former racing driver. Since 2005, Horner has served as team principal and chief executive officer, CEO of Red Bull Racing in Formula One, winning s ...
felt the decision to award points was not right. Mercedes team boss
Toto Wolff
Torger Christian "Toto" Wolff (, born 12 January 1972) is an Austrian billionaire investor, motorsport executive and former racing driver. Since 2013, Wolff has served as team principal, CEO and co-owner of Mercedes in Formula One, winning ei ...
called the decision to award half points "annoying".
Hamilton and
Carlos Sainz Jr. called for spectators who bought tickets to be refunded. Hamilton stated his belief that Formula One had "made a bad choice" to complete two full laps behind the safety car before abandoning the race, alleging this was done purely to ensure Formula One fulfilled its commercial obligations.
Formula One Group
The Formula One Group is a group of companies responsible for the Promotion (marketing), promotion of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Formula One World Championship, and the exercising of the sport's commercial rights.
The ...
CEO
Stefano Domenicali
Stefano Domenicali (born 11 May 1965) is an Italian motorsport executive and the current CEO of Formula One Group since 2021.
Early life
Domenicali was born in Imola, the son of a banker. As a child, he used to go to the Autodromo Enzo e Dino F ...
quickly rejected these claims.
Haas F1
Haas Formula LLC, competing as MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, is an American-licensed Formula One racing team established by NASCAR Cup Series team owner Gene Haas in April 2014. The team made its debut in the season. The team principal is Ayao K ...
team principal
Guenther Steiner
Guenther Steiner (born 7 April 1965, ) is an Italian and American motorsport engineer and former team manager. Steiner was the Team Principal of Haas Formula One Team from 2016 to 2023, the managing director of Jaguar Racing from 2001 to 2003 ...
suggested the criteria for awarding half points was possibly becoming outdated and needed updating. Pundit Scott Mitchell was also of the opinion that fans who attended the race deserve compensation, and that Formula One risked alienating some of its fanbase if it did not refund ticket holders in some way. In September 2021 Formula One and the race promoters then announced in a statement they would begin working on options for ticket holders following the race's suspension. However, despite this initial statement, in December 2021, it was announced that the race promoters would not refund ticketholders, and offer race attendees free passes for F1TV and the chance to be entered into a prize draw to win tickets to the
2022 Belgian Grand Prix. Two-time world champion
Mika Häkkinen
Mika Pauli Häkkinen (; born 28 September 1968) is a Finnish former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "the Flying Finn", Häkkinen won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with M ...
defended the decisions made by officials during the event.
Scuderia AlphaTauri
Scuderia AlphaTauri S.p.A, or simply AlphaTauri, was an Italian Formula One racing team and constructor that competed from to . It was one of two Formula One constructors owned by Austrian conglomerate Red Bull GmbH, the other being Red Bull ...
driver
Pierre Gasly
Pierre Jean-Jacques Gasly (; born 7 February 1996) is a French racing driver who competes in Formula One for Alpine. Gasly won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix with AlphaTauri.
Born and raised in Normandy, Gasly began competitive kart racing age ...
stated that Formula One needed to find a solution in order to reduce the amount of spray Grand Prix cars produce in wet conditions to improve driver visibility.
Pirelli
Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is an Italian multinational tyre manufacturer based in the city of Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Borsa Italiana since 1922, is the 5th-largest tyre manufacturer, and is focused on the consumer pro ...
's head of motorsport
Mario Isola said he felt the sport's decision to move to wider tyres from the season onwards was a contributing factor to drivers having more visibility problems in wet conditions, as they disperse more water compared to pre-2017 tyres. Vettel and Alonso dismissed the notion that the FIA was being overcautious with safety, citing the modern aerodynamics of the cars, downforce levels and wide Pirelli tyres that had made visibility worse when driving in wet weather – with races such as the
2007 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2007 Japanese Grand Prix (officially the 2007 Formula 1 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 30 September 2007 at the Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka. The 67-lap race was the fifteenth round of the 2007 FI ...
(a race Vettel, Hamilton, Räikkönen, and Alonso all took part in) conducted over a full distance in arguably worse heavy rain conditions than those seen in at Spa. Adam Cooper of ''Autosport'' felt that the two lap requirement – a requirement which had been in use since between the
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
and
1980 seasons and long pre-dated the official introduction of the safety car in Formula One was "a ticking time bomb that exploded" during race day events at Spa.
world champion
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell (; born 8 August 1953) is a British former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Mansell won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Williams, and won 31 Grands Prix across 15 seasons ...
said that if he had been in charge of running the race, he would have relaxed parc fermé conditions for a wet race to allow teams to make needed set-up changes to make the cars driveable in tricky conditions. world champion and 22-time Grand Prix winner
Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill (born 17 September 1960) is an English former racing driver and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Hill won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Williams, and won 22 Grands Prix acr ...
called the Grand Prix "a parade, not a race". Fellow former F1 drivers
Pedro de la Rosa
Pedro Martínez de la Rosa (; born 24 February 1971) is a Spanish former racing driver, motorsport executive and broadcaster, who competed in Formula One between and . In Japanese motorsport, de la Rosa won the Formula Nippon Championship a ...
and
Hans Joachim Stuck
Hans-Joachim Stuck (; born 1 January 1951) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "Strietzel", Stuck won the World Sportscar Championship in 1985 and is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans ...
said that races would have started under such conditions in the past, with De la Rosa stating the sport had reduced its risk threshold compared to what was acceptable 10 or 15 years ago. Russell's performance in qualifying was praised and considered the high point of the weekend by pundits Edd Straw and Scott Mitchell. Journalist
David Tremayne
David John Tremayne is a UK-based motor racing journalist. He has written extensively about the Land Speed Record. He was the Formula One correspondent for ''The Independent''. He is one of the founding partners of ''GrandPrix+'', the sport's ...
also praised Russell's performance, suggesting it was an indication that he was ready to step up to Mercedes seat for the 2022 season.
F1TV's Lawrence Barretto and
Will Buxton
William Thomas Buxton (born 14 February 1981) is a British motorsport journalist, commentator and presenter who is currently the lead commentator for Fox Sports' coverage of the IndyCar Series beginning with the 2025 season. He is best known fo ...
felt that while it was a difficult decision to abandon the race, the FIA had no choice but to shorten the race for safety reasons, and praised fans for their perseverance. Journalist
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United.
During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...
was critical of the decision to run two full laps behind the safety car, believing that doing so called into question the sport's "better values"; he suggested there was an undercurrent of cynicism from F1 bosses towards the fans, which he believed did not create a good image for the sport. However, fellow journalist
Joe Saward
Jonathan Mark Christopher Saward (born 14 July 1961) is a British Formula One journalist.
Life and career
Saward was educated at Haileybury College and attained a degree in history at Bedford College, University of London. In 1984 he joined ''A ...
in his blog stated that he felt the FIA handled the situation as best they could within the parameters of the regulations even if the scenario was not ideal, noting the fans suffered.
Journalist Josh Suttil considered the events at the race to be Formula One's biggest race-day debacle since the
2005 United States Grand Prix
The 2005 United States Grand Prix (officially the 2005 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on June 19, 2005, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was the ninth race of the 2005 Formula One World Championship ...
(where 14 cars withdrew at the end of the formation lap due to tyre safety concerns, leaving six cars in the race).
Gary Anderson, Formula One pundit and former F1 technical director, and
Martin Brundle
Martin John Brundle (born 1 June 1959) is a British former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster who competed in Formula One from to . In endurance racing (motorsport), endurance racing, Brundle won the World Sportscar Champions ...
, former F1 driver-turned-commentator, suggested that the race would have been better if cars had been running in
virtual safety car
In motorsport, a safety car, or a pace car, is a car that limits the speed of competing cars or motorcycles on a racetrack in the case of a ''caution period,'' such as an obstruction on the track or bad weather. The safety car aims to enable the ...
conditions. Brundle also mentioned the idea of F1 possibly introducing 'slow zones', where a speed limit is imposed on part of the track. Anderson also proposed that the criteria for half-points should be extended going forward to require that at least 50% of the original scheduled race distance be run, without changing the current distance requirement for full points (75% of scheduled distance complete). He included the additional stipulation that at least 25% of the laps completed before race-end must be done under
green flag
Green Flag Limited is a British roadside assistance and vehicle recovery provider, which is part of the Direct Line Group. Formed in 1971, as the National Breakdown Recovery Club, as an alternative to the AA and RAC, it used a network of ...
conditions for a race to be considered eligible for points-scoring of any kind. In January 2022, Anderson wrote: "Spa was also a disgrace. How can half-points be awarded after three laps behind a safety car? The official result was based on just one lap of that!" Journalist Luke Smith also advocated changing rules whilst saying the podium celebrations of Verstappen and Russell in particular were "tone deaf", and contrasted them to Hamilton's restrained reaction. GPFans.com called it a "step backwards for F1" with their pundit Ian Parkes saying "F1 must take us for fools" in response to the claim that there had been a genuine attempt to go racing. Parkes was also critical of the general confusion surrounding rules on race day, such as whether Sergio Pérez could join the race after his pre-race crash, or when exactly the race itself and the race clock had been deemed to have started. F1 managing director
Ross Brawn
Ross James Brawn (born 23 November 1954) is a British Formula One managing director, motor sports and technical director. He is a former motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal, and has worked for a number of Formula One teams. Teams ...
described the events at Spa as "a challenging day", whilst praising Russell's performance.
Clarification of race management
The Formula One regulations at the time of the race mandated that a minimum of two laps must be completed to award any points.
Masi stated there was a genuine attempt to race under green-flag conditions before the rain got worse, and Hamilton said that "money talks". The
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocacy, advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automot ...
noted that it was "impractical" to delay the race until the following day. There was post-race confusion as to whether points would be awarded given that the classification showed one was completed, but the regulations stated that a minimum of two laps must be completed for a race to be eligible for points. Masi clarified that race was eligible for points as, "three laps were completed ... The third lap was completed when cars crossed the control line in the
it lane... And then the classification for points is taken on the penultimate lap before the lap the signal was given
the end of the first lap"
Regulation changes
Formula One Management
The Formula One Group is a group of companies responsible for the Promotion (marketing), promotion of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Formula One World Championship, and the exercising of the sport's commercial rights.
The ...
stated in the race aftermath that it intended to have discussions with the teams and the FIA regarding changes to sporting regulations to prevent such an occurrence from happening again.
The proposed changes would attempt to formulate a more satisfactory minimum requirement for a classification to be achieved than was required under the 2021 rules, as well as discussing the possibility of written provisions in the rules enabling race organisers to reschedule a race if it were unsuitable to run the race on its original date.
After one of the races of the
2021 Sochi Formula 3 round
The 2021 Sochi Formula 3 round was the final race of the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship. It took place at the Sochi Autodrom and featured three races from 24 to 26 September in support of the 2021 Russian Grand Prix.
Dennis Hauger clinched the d ...
had its start time changed due to poor weather, Masi suggested that Formula One could adopt a similar rule to reduce the chances of having to abandon a race for bad weather. In January 2022,
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...
CEO
Zak Brown
Zakary Challen Brown (born November 7, 1971) is an American motorsports executive, currently serving as the chief executive officer of McLaren Racing. Born and raised in California, Brown raced professionally around the world for ten years befor ...
cited the aborted Spa race, alongside the last minute cancellation of the
2020 Australian Grand Prix
The 2020 Australian Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2020) was a Formula One motor race that was due to be held on 15 March 2020 in Melbourne, Victoria. The race was to be contested at the Albert Park Cir ...
and the controversial restart at the subsequent
2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race held on 12 December 2021 at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Contested over a dista ...
, as signs that the FIA had suffered organisational and rule-making problems for a significant period of time which needed to urgently be resolved.
At a Formula One Commission meeting held in October 2021, changes concerning how points are awarded were discussed. The commission then recommended that the matter be discussed further at the next meeting of the FIA's Sporting Advisory Committee to set out proposals for regulatory and procedural changes regarding the awarding of points at shortened races. Any changes agreed upon by the Sporting Advisory Committee were required to then go to the FIA's World Motorsport Council for final ratification. In response to the race, Formula One started research into how to improve wet weather racing, looking at possibility of redesigning the cars to reduce spray whilst also preventing
aquaplaning
Aquaplaning or hydroplaning by the tires of a road vehicle, aircraft or other wheeled vehicle occurs when a layer of water builds between the wheels of the vehicle and the road surface, leading to a loss of traction that prevents the vehicle ...
. In February 2022, the Formula One Commission approved rule changes, ahead of the start of the
2022 championship: the new
points scoring criteria for shortened races was introduced. Although this was intended to be applied to all races which had not reached full distance, a clarification at the
2022 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Honda Japanese Grand Prix 2022) was a Formula One motor race held on 9 October 2022 at the Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka, Japan. Max Verstappen won the race finishin ...
- where most of the paddock expected partial points to be awarded, but full points were given after 28 of 53 laps were completed - meant that changed rule only applied to races that were suspended and could not be restarted. The wording of this regulation was amended for 2023 to ensure that the amount of points awarded was dictated purely by the percentage of full race distance covered irrespective of whether a race ends under red or green flag condition- thereby fulfilling the original intention behind introducing a gradual scale points system for shortened races. Starting in the 2022 season, Formula One began exploring the possibility of introducing wet-weather specific wheel arches to improve visibility and with it the raceability of cars in wet conditions. This is timetabled to be introduced in midway through the
2023 season, or in time for the start of the season. this is in the testing and development stage. Furthermore, in February 2023 Pirelli announced its intention to introduce a new, more raceable full wet tyre compound which they planned to have ready and available for use for the ultimately cancelled
2023 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix onwards and this tyre has subsequently entered service as of the
2023 Monaco Grand Prix. In 2023, George Russell stated that the wheel-arches were years away and reiterated that Pirelli full wet tyres remained largely unsuited to green flag racing even two years on from the Spa 2021 fiasco. Pirelli have responded to this continued criticism by proposing the introduction of a third wet weather (colloquially dubbed a "super-intermediate" tyre by ''RaceFans'') possibly to serve as an in-between step between the existing Intermediate and Full Wet tyres in an attempt to give drivers an opportunity to go at racing speed in wetter conditions. Pirelli has also suggested that proposed tyre could also replace the existing Full Wet and Intermediate tyres with
Mario Isola suggesting that Pirelli's newly proposed wet tyre showed improved performance and grip and able to work across a wider window of track wetness and grip compared to existing 2023 range of tyres following testing of these prototype tyres at
Fiorano and
Paul Ricard. Isola also stated his belief that moving to single wet tyre compound would be more cost effective. A sprayguard design was tested by Oscar Piastri and Mick Schumacher following the
2023 British Grand Prix
The 2023 British Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Aramco British Grand Prix 2023) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 9 July 2023 at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. It was the tenth round of the 202 ...
. However, this was deemed not successful with Ben Anderson and Scott Mitchell-Malm writing for ''The Race'' remarking the spray guard idea could be indefinitely delayed or abandoned. In May 2024 Ferrari tested a revised spray guard design on their at the Fiorano Circuit. This design was reported as being 'more aggressive' than the design trialled in 2023. Following this test the FIA decided to abandon the idea of spray guards altogether.
[https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/thu-f1-abandons-rain-wheel-cover-idea-after-latest-test/10614051/#:~:text=The%20FIA%20has%20abandoned%20the,latest%20test%2C%20Autosport%20can%20reveal.&text=Ferrari%20recently%20helped%20the%20FIA,it%20could%20help%20reduce%20spray.]
Championship standings after the race
;Drivers' Championship standings
;Constructors' Championship standings
*
Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
See also
*
2021 Spa-Francorchamps FIA Formula 3 round
The 2021 Spa-Francorchamps Formula 3 round was the fifth round of the 2021 FIA Formula 3 Championship. It took place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and featured three races on the 28 August and 29 August in support of the 2021 Belgian Grand P ...
*
2021 W Series Spa-Francorchamps round
Notes
References
External links
{{F1GP 2020–29
Belgian
Grand Prix
( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to:
* Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition
** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship
*** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...
Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix (; ; ) is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship.
The first national race of Belgium was held in 1925 at the Spa region's race course, an area of the country that had been associated ...
Belgian Grand Prix
Formula One controversies