“They were robbed of a race” – Lewis Hamilton has apologised to fans after rain washed out the Belgian GP with half points awarded to the top ten finishers.
Fans who turned up at Spa were left disappointed after rain devoid them of any racing action. Instead, the drivers went across the track for a few laps behind the safety car to meet the requirements of the race classification. As a result, half points were awarded to the top 10 drivers from yesterday’s qualifying session.
To our fans at the circuit and at home, thank you for your commitment and patience.
Despite every effort, it just wasn’t possible to complete a full race today. Safety will always come first.
For only the sixth time in our history, half points will be awarded.#BelgianGP 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/dtW2InXrql
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 29, 2021
Max Verstappen cuts Lewis Hamilton lead by 5 points
Lewis Hamilton earned 7.5 points for his work on Saturday, and sees his championship lead trim to three points ahead of race winner Max Verstappen. But more than that, he felt sorry for the fans who turned up and hoped they are refunded.
“Firstly, I feel really sorry for the fans today. Obviously, it’s no one’s fault with this weather but the fans have been incredible today to stick with us this whole time and hold out for a potential race.
“They knew when they sent us out at the end there that the track wasn’t any better and they did it just so we could start two laps behind the safety car, which is the minimum requirement for a race.
“I really hope the fans get their money back. They were robbed of a race and I think they deserve their money back.
“You couldn’t really see. Five metres in front of you the car disappears and so it was very difficult down the straights to even know where that flashing light was.
“You couldn’t even go flat out because you didn’t know what part of the track they would be on. It’s a shame because I wanted to race and I think it could have been a great race if it hadn’t rained so hard.”
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