We were hoping today would be an ultimate test of man and machine around one of the greatest tracks in the world in the most demanding of conditions. However things did not turn out the way they had hoped. There was drama before the start, as Sergio Perez crashed on the lap to the grid, and due to rain, the race start was delayed. When the cars were released behind the safety car, it was clear there was too much spray and due to the nature of the track it was simply too dangerous to go racing.
After a 3 hour wait of waiting for the weather to clear, they sent the cars out again, to see if it was possible to get the race started. It became clear there was no improvement, and after 2 laps which crucially meant half points were awarded, the race was red flagged and subsequently abandoned.
This effectively meant the points were awarded for qualifying, aside from Perez’s crash which dropped him to the rear of the field. Max Verstappen took the win after 2 races in the wilderness, ahead of George Russell, who takes his maiden podium in Formula One, and Williams’ first podium since 2017. Whilst Lewis Hamilton finished in third, with half points ensuring that he maintains the points lead.
Daniel Ricciardo finished in fourth for McLaren ahead of Sebastian Vettel in fifth and Pierre Gasly in sixth. The Hungary race winner Esteban Ocon finished in seventh, ahead of Charles Leclerc, Nicholas Latifi and Carlos Sainz.
There is going to be a lot of questions asked in response to today’s events, but considering all the accidents we have had at Raidillon this weekend, safety had to come first, and whilst it was really sad it had to come to this, this is a better outcome than a driver getting injured or worse. The right decision was made in the end.
RaceWeek 