The 2021 Belgian GP went down as one of the most memorable events in the history of F1 as it brought a lot of changes in the rulebook.
Rain and bad weather brought several delays to the 2021 Belgian GP. When the drivers finally did get out on track, it was a two-lap procession behind the safety car.
This satisfied the FIA’s requirement to award half points and declare the result. The 44-lap race was reduced to three when a red flag was brought out during the third lap. Therefore, as per rules, the drivers who finished in the top 10 were awarded half points.
As a result, Max Verstappen won the race followed by George Russell in P2 and Lewis Hamilton in P3. Hamilton later described the incident as a farce and that it was “all a money scenario”.
Exciting week! F1 Manager is out AND F1 is back. Just hope this year’s #BelgianGP can match the thriller that was 2021. What a race that was…n’t!
— The F1 Word (@f1word) August 22, 2022
The way the stewards handled the situation raised a lot of questions within the F1 community. It outraged the fans and disappointed them.
With rain predicted once again during the 2022 Belgian GP, the F1 community could not help but recall the past. The fans are wondering if the same points system will be used in case the Spa circuit drenches like it did in 2021.
Also Read: F1 boss Stefano Domenicali confirms $50 million a year circuit will never return
What are the new rules for shorter races like the Belgian GP?
After how the 2021 Belgian GP ended up, the FIA brought some changes to the rulebook. The rules now say that there must be at least two complete laps without a safety car in order to award points.
If there are less than two ‘free laps’, no points will be awarded. A scenario like 2021 can therefore no longer occur with the new rules.
If between two laps and 25% of the full race distance has been covered, points are awarded to the top five. The point distribution is then as follows: the driver who finishes first gets six points. The second gets four points, the third gets three, the fourth gets two and lastly the fifth gets one point.
If between 25 and 50% of the race distance has been covered, the drivers finishing in the top nine get points awarded. The driver who finishes tenth will not score any points.
In this scenario, the first driver scores 13 points, the second gets 10, and the third bags 8. From there on, the drivers from fourth to ninth bag points in descending order. This begins from six and goes down to one point.
Another scenario is if a race is completed between 50 and 75% of the full race distance. In this case, the entire top 10 receive points.
It starts with 19 points for the driver who finishes first followed by 14 points for the second and 10 points for the third.
The driver who finishes fourth gets eight points and everyone finishing from fifth to tenth receives points in descending order from sixth to one.
Also Read: Spa to hold discussions with FOM to compensate fans for the farcical Belgian GP
