Verstappen accuses race organisers of being overcautious with rain delay
"It wasn't even raining," he said, referring to the decision taken at the scheduled race start time of 1500 local time (1300 GMT). "Of course, between Turns 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 anyway.
"It's a bit of a shame. I knew that they would be a bit more cautious because of Silverstone, but this also didn't make sense.
"Then, it's better to say 'let's wait until it's completely dry' and we'll start on slicks because this is not really wet weather racing for me."
Instead of staying out, however, the field were taken back into the pit lane to wait for more than an hour, waiting until improved weather conditions prevailed.
The race then began with a rolling start after four laps behind the Safety Car.
Verstappen finished off the podium for the third consecutive race as series leader Oscar Piastri led team-mate Lando Norris home in a convincing McLaren 1-2.
"On the intermediates, we made a choice with the set-up and then they only allowed us to drive in almost slick conditions," said the Dutchman.
"That was a bit disappointing because we spoke, after Silverstone, about being a little more cautious, but this was the other extreme for me.
"So, the choice that we made with the set-up of the car was then the wrong one, because they didn't allow us to race in the wet.
"And, once we had the dry tyres, we were just too slow on the straights. That with all the general balance problems I have with this car just made everything worse."
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France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Three things we learned from Belgian F1 Grand Prix
While old school racers including multiple champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen favoured a prompt start on a tricky circuit, younger drivers and team chiefs preferred to back race director Rui Marques's caution and wait for dry weather. AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from Sunday's race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit: Safety first option sparks lively debate Piastri secured his sixth win of the season, with great aplomb that makes him favourite to beat McLaren team-mate Lando Norris to the drivers' title. The Australian's consistency and mental strength helped him into a 16-point lead after 13 of this year's 24 races, but his drive was overshadowed by post-race arguments about racing in the rain. Ferrari's Hamilton and Red Bull's Verstappen slammed the long delay and choice of rolling start, but others including Mercedes' George Russell and Williams' Carlos Sainz backed the "safety first" decision at a track with a dark history of fatal accidents. "We could've gone miles earlier, an hour earlier," said Verstappen. "It was a shame. It just ruins a nice classic wet race. Either we push to go for a wet race -- or we just stop racing in the wet... and wait for it to be dry. But that's not what you want, right?" Verstappen's car was set up for extreme wet conditions, as forecast, but the decision meant he and others were disadvantaged. He finished fourth. Triumphant McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, celebrating a sixth 1-2 this year, praised the move. "I think the race was managed in a very wise way by the FIA," he said. "We knew there was a lot of rain coming and I think at a circuit like this if you make the calls late, it may be too late -- and the outcome could be difficult." He emphasised the unique risks of the high-speed track through the forested valleys of the Ardennes. "I understand it would be entertaining, but the average speed is so high at Spa that in wet conditions it's impossible to see." New Red Bull chief Laurent Mekies, in his first outing after replacing Christian Horner, said: "I think we were all surprised by how late we started." The former FIA deputy race and safety director added: "Fundamentally, we waited not only for the rain to stop, but also pretty much for the sun to come out -- and then we still had many laps behind the safety car. "I'm sure the FIA had its reasons, but in our case, having based the car towards wet running, it cost us performance, but, it's all part of the game." Red Bull win despite Verstappen losing Verstappen's fourth-placed finish had one upside for Mekies as a performance break clause in his contract lapsed. According to paddock sources, the Dutchman had a right to leave for 2026 if he was outside the top three drivers at the end of July, but his points in Belgium, including a sprint race win on Saturday, mean he cannot be overhauled. Verstappen is third behind the McLaren duo but 28 points ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, whose future was under threat from Verstappen's possible arrival. He cannot catch him even if he wins in Hungary this week. Hamilton eyes turning the corner Hamilton's roller-coaster ride since joining Ferrari continued as he went from 18th, and a pit lane start, to finish seventh. On Saturday, he apologised to Ferrari for his "unacceptable" qualifying while critics noted that, at 40, he was struggling to cope –- two days after revealing he had bombarded senior Ferrari staff with memos for team improvements. After seeing him storm through the field, team chief Fred Vasseur joked Hamilton was now "engineering the car himself", before the Briton revealed he had invited a former Mercedes engineer to join his team. "We'll get stronger together now," he promised.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Verstappen accuses race organisers of being overcautious with rain delay
The four-time world champion said he believed that instead of suspending the race after one formation lap behind the Safety Car, Race Control should have kept the field out on the track to clear standing water. "It wasn't even raining," he said, referring to the decision taken at the scheduled race start time of 1500 local time (1300 GMT). "Of course, between Turns 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 anyway. "It's a bit of a shame. I knew that they would be a bit more cautious because of Silverstone, but this also didn't make sense. "Then, it's better to say 'let's wait until it's completely dry' and we'll start on slicks because this is not really wet weather racing for me." Instead of staying out, however, the field were taken back into the pit lane to wait for more than an hour, waiting until improved weather conditions prevailed. The race then began with a rolling start after four laps behind the Safety Car. Verstappen finished off the podium for the third consecutive race as series leader Oscar Piastri led team-mate Lando Norris home in a convincing McLaren 1-2. "On the intermediates, we made a choice with the set-up and then they only allowed us to drive in almost slick conditions," said the Dutchman. "That was a bit disappointing because we spoke, after Silverstone, about being a little more cautious, but this was the other extreme for me. "So, the choice that we made with the set-up of the car was then the wrong one, because they didn't allow us to race in the wet. "And, once we had the dry tyres, we were just too slow on the straights. That with all the general balance problems I have with this car just made everything worse."
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Piastri turns personal disappointment into motivation to win at Spa
The 24-year-old Australian was disappointed with himself on Saturday when he was beaten by title rival and McLaren team-mate Lando Norris in qualifying for Sunday's race, but he turned the tables with a masterly lap one passing move after a rolling start on a damp track. He then hung on and, after pitting to switch from intermediates to slicks, he managed his medium compound tyres perfectly to stay ahead of Norris, running on a more durable hard tyre, in the closing stages to win and extend his lead in the title race to 16 points. "I knew lap one was going to be probably my best chance of winning the race," said Piastri. "I got a good exit out of Turn One and then lifted a little as I dipped through Eau Rouge and it was enough. "The rest of the race we managed really well. I was struggling a bit at the end -- so maybe the medium wasn't the best for the last five or six laps, but we had it mostly under control, which is what I wanted. "I was pretty disappointed with myself after yesterday, but it turns out starting second in Spa isn't too bad after all!" He added that he was concerned that the rolling start, after four laps behind the Safety Car, would reduce his chance to grab the initiative, but showed he was sharp and focussed by taking advantage of Norris at the first opportunity. "I got a good exit out of Turn One and was able to stay close and then, when I was going close, I just knew I was going to lift a little bit less than Lando (Norris) did and try and keep it on the track. "It was a bit lively up over the hill, but I managed to make it stick and then, from there, the tow helped me out." 'Difficult conditions' He said he knew that tyre strategy was going to be critical and expected Norris's decision to take hard tyres – the only driver to do so when all the rest went for mediums. "I had the same plan, if I was going to be second, so I kind of knew that was going to be a likely decision for Lando. For me, medium was the safest tyre to be on at that point. "You never know if someone is going to crash and there's a Safety Car and you want a medium for the restart. Also, the medium seemed pretty good in the sprint yesterday so I think it didn't make too much difference. "But when you're fighting like that, one-two, you're always going to try and get an advantage in one way or another." Norris admitted he had not done enough to win the race as he slipped 16 points behind Piastri in the championship after 13 of the 24 races. "He had a better start and he deserved it today," said Norris, who made three mistakes in the difficult conditions. "It's should-a, would-a, could-a…. Oscar deserved it. I'm sure he would have made a couple of mistakes too and I'll review my own. It's a great result for the team our first 1-2 here in many years." It was McLaren's first Belgian triumph since Jenson Button won from pole in 2012. © 2025 AFP
