Max Verstappen was classified first in a washed out Belgian Grand Prix, which was the shortest race in the history of Formula 1. George Russell achieved his maiden podium finish in P2 while Lewis Hamilton retrieved 7.5 points coming third. Three laps took place behind the safety car as torrential rain made the track undrivable and only half points were awarded as the race distance was less than 75%.
London, 30 August 2021: Rain was forecasted for the Grand Prix, but no one expected it to be a washout. Drama ensued before the race as Sergio Perez went into the barrier on his way to the grid ruling him out of the race. Instead of the lights going out, two formation laps took place behind the safety car. Drivers complained on the radio about aquaplaning and zero visibility, hence, the race was red flagged by the FIA.
After a wait of more than three hours FIA notified that the race would resume at 18:17 local time (race start was at 15:00 local time). With the grid bunched up behind the safety car, the drivers ventured out for another couple of laps before returning to the pits. FIA declared that the race won’t resume, and half points will be awarded to the top 10 finishers.
This race showed the importance of qualifying. Due to a red flag the finishing order was exactly similar as to qualifying, barring Perez who crashed out and had to start from the pitlane, if the race had started. Verstappen closed the gap on championship rival to Hamilton while a stunning Saturday qualifying lap by Russell meant he kept his 2nd place.
The 2021 season got back underway in a less than ideal way as if the summer break was extended for another week. Weather is one of the few elements that is out of control of the organizers and the FIA, and safety being paramount it was deemed unsafe to race in such dire conditions. Onto Zandvoort, hoping for some racing action there!
Saturday Qualifying results were:
| P1: Max Verstappen- 33 (Red Bull) | P2: George Russell- 63 (Williams) |
| P3: Lewis Hamilton- 44 (Mercedes) | P4: Daniel Ricciardo- 3 (McLaren) |
| P5: Sebastian Vettel- 5 (Aston Martin) | P6: Pierre Gasly- 10 (AlphaTauri) |
| P7: Sergio Perez- 11 (Red Bull) | P8: Valtteri Bottas- 77 (Mercedes) |
| P9: Esteban Ocon- 31 (Alpine) | P10: Lando Norris- 4 (McLaren) |
| P11: Charles Leclerc- 16 (Ferrari) | P12: Nicholas Latifi- 6 (Williams) |
| P13: Carlos Sainz- 55 (Ferrari) | P14: Fernando Alonso- 14 (Alpine) |
| P15: Lance Stroll- 18 (Aston Martin) | P16: Antonio Giovinazzi- 99 (Alfa Romeo) |
| P17: Yuki Tsunoda- 22 (AlphaTauri) | P18: Mick Schumacher- 47 (Haas) |
| P19: Kimi Raikkonen- 7 (Alfa Romeo) | P20: Nikita Mazepin- 9 (Haas) |
Note: Bottas and Stroll penalised five grid places for causing a collision at the previous round. Norris penalised five grid places for an unscheduled gearbox change. Raikkonen required to start from the pit lane, as car modified whilst under Parc Ferme conditions.
