THE Belgian Grand Prix has ended in farcical fashion, with Max Verstappen declared the WINNER after hours of rain delays.
The drivers completed four laps on a rain-sodden Spa racetrack.
And officials have been forced to simply award the win to the Dutchman, who will take half points.
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GOODBYE!
Well that’s it from tonight, folks.
It was a stop-start… and then stop weekend which Max Verstappen took full advantage of as he was named the winner of the Belgian GP.
The race was suspended twice before finally being called after earlier in the afternoon thanks to some blustery, rainy conditions.
Those poor F1 fans.
Well they don’t have to wait too long as the Italian GP is in just TWO weeks.
We’ll see you then.
LECLERC WEIGHS IN
WINNING MOMENT
The moment Max Verstappen found out he’d won the Belgian GP, albeit in less than ideal circumstances.
MASI SPEAKS
Race director Michael Masi speaks following the suspension of the Belgian GP.
“There’s no ability to postpone the race until tomorrow.
“Safety is paramount for drivers and spectators. We were given the opportunity to be able to complete a race, but we could not go the full distance.
“There’s pages long that would run between organisers, everyone here… there’s no ability to postpone to the following day. Don’t know logistically if it could have been [run later in the year].”
HAMILTON SPEAKS
“I feel so very sorry for the fans today. They have been incredible to stick with us,” he said.
“[FIA, Formula 1] knew the track wasn’t any better but they sent us out for the two laps behind the safety car to get a race. I hope the fans get their money back.
“You couldn’t really see five metres in front of you. It was hard to even see down the straight. You couldn’t go flat out. It’s a shame, I wanted to race. It could’ve been a good race had it not rained.”
POLE POSITION
Well, they went through with a ceremony so Verstappen could pick up his gong.
Russell 2nd, Hamilton 3rd.
Credit: Getty RUSSELL SPEAKS
George Russell, who grabbed second, has apologised to the fans for the way proceedings unfolded today.
“We don’t often get rewarded for a great qualifying but today we absolutely did.
“I want to say sorry to the fans, it’s a shame we didn’t get the race under way but from our side of things for me and the team, its an amazing result.
“There’s been so much hard work gone into this over the past few years and here we are on the podium, I didn’t expect that this year at all.”
VERSTAPPEN HAPPY
“Now, in hindsight, it was important to get the pole position – but it was a shame not to do proper laps,” he said.
“The visibility was very low. If we had started at 15:00 (local time), we would have had a better chance.
“It’s a win but not really in the right way. Credit to the fans to stay here all day. In the cold and rain. They are the bigger winners today.
“We have to keep on pushing, keep trying. We have a few more races, we have a good car and we will keep trying.”
RACE WILL NOT RESUME
A decision has been made!
And it’s not one that F1 fans will have been hoping for, but it’s the one they probably expected.
The race won’t resume as conditions are too blustery out there.
Max Verstappen WINS the Belgian Grand Prix!
36 MINUTES TO GO
Drivers and teams alike are sitting around waiting for a verdict but fans are beginning to leave.
Not much hope here.
Over to you Michael Masi.
COUNTDOWN
If we don’t get going in the next 45 minutes, the race won’t go ahead and the current placings will stay as is.
That means Max Verstappen will finish 1st, Russell in 2nd and Hamilton in 3rd.
Weird day.
RACE SUSPENDED
And there we have it, the race has been suspended again – it’s been red flagged.
The decision has been taken to stop proceedings, with the rain continuing to fall as heavy as it did earlier.
Both Hamilton and Russell had been complaining that the rain was still having a detrimental effect on the race.
Who knows if we’ll be back out at this point. The clock continues to tick down. We can go until 6.17pm BST, and they’ll probably persist.
But it’s not looking good.
LAP THREE
Sergio Perez seems up for it, despite what it looks like out there.
“At the back is getting better. Final sector is getting better,” he tells his team radio.
Nine minutes of the race gone, and every car is behind the daftly car still.
LAP TWO
Every car is still following the safety car, so we’re not officially racing yet, but the hour is ticking down.
The best way to dry up this track will be to get some tyres on there, so that’s what we’re doing.
But it really does look bad out there.
LAP ONE
There’s still plenty of spray on the track, it actually looks worse than before.
Anyway, on we go, Verstappen in the lead, Russell in 2nd with Hamilton in 3rd place.
It’s all looking pretty unsteady out there at the moment, though.
AND WE’RE OFF… FINALLY!
We have a one hour race on our hands, with half points awarded.
12.5 for the winner, 9 for the runner-up, 7.5 for 3rd and so on.
RACE IS ON
Today’s race WILL resume at 5.17pm.
RACE PACE
With the event countdown clock stopped, there could yet be some joy for F1 fans today.
LEWIS HAMILTON SPEAKS TO THE RAIN-SOAKED FANS
He’s taken to social media telling fans it is too dangerous to race in these conditions.
He said: “Guys, sorry you’re out there waiting. This rain just won’t let up. It’s far too dangerous for us to go out.
“Puts everyone at risk. Safety has to come first. Sending you positivity and thank you for your patience.”
FINALLY EFFORTS BEING MADE TO CLEAR THE TRACK
Road sweepers deployed to remove the standing water.
CLOCK STOPPED
The FIA have now confirmed they have stopped the 3-hour race limit. It has been held with one hour to go with an attempt to get some running in.
ONE HOUR TO GO – AND LANDO NORRIS HAS FALLEN ASLEEP
It’s proving to be a real wash out. Such a shame for all those fans in the stands and on the muddy hills.
The McLaren man has nodded off. He’s not the only one…
ALL TOO MUCH FOR GIOVINAZZI
The Alfa Romeo man takes a break from waiting for the rain to stop.
AN UPDATE FROM THE FIA
They say it will be a 39 lap race or the three hour time limit, remember that the clock started at 3pm.
PEREZ ALLOWED TO START
He is given permission start from the pitlane, despite his crash on the way to the grid.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
