Max Verstappen wins the shortest Grand Prix in history in Belgium
The Belgian Grand Prix therefore only lasted five laps, and under a safety car regime. Max Verstappen was named the winner, thanks to his pole position on Saturday.
A parody. The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix goes down in history as the shortest race in Formula 1 history. Previously, it was the 1991 Australian GP that held this record with just 24 minutes and 34 seconds left. race. At Spa-Francorchamps, Sunday, the race, if you can call it that, lasted only four laps, completed in two stages and in… three hours. And even before the Grand Prix, the signals were not the right ones, especially when Sergio Perez, while trying to position himself on the grid, smashed his Red Bull into the wall at the Combes corner. All day long, heavy rain fell on the Ardennes circuit preventing the cars from rolling. It was simply impossible to take the track on Sunday in Belgium because of almost zero visibility.
However, the FIA tried to start the race. The first time at 3:25 p.m. But after two laps behind the safety car, everyone returned to the pit lane and waited for long minutes. Even long hours since the pilots tried their luck again at 6.17 pm. And this time for three laps behind the safety car. The conditions had not changed in the meantime and the FIA resigned itself and decided to put an end to this masquerade. With five laps covered under a safety car regime, the result could be confirmed, with only 50% of the points awarded to the top 10 members.
Victory for Verstappen, Russell’s first podium
The qualifications, carried out on Saturday, then served as a classification, with a few exceptions. Because drivers, present in the top 10, were penalized on the starting grid like Lando Norris or Valtteri Bottas. But the victory went well to Max Verstappen, author of the pole on Saturday, his 16e in career. And as required by the regulations, the Dutchman pockets 12.5 points. Because this is the other novelty, following this unreal GP, some drivers, with 50% of the points awarded for the sixth time in history, will have half points in the standings.
Second, to everyone’s surprise, in qualifying, George Russell climbed for the first time on a podium with his modest Williams and it was surely him the happiest on Sunday: “Everyone should be congratulated. We are rewarded with the great qualifying on Saturday. It’s a shame not to have started this race but for my team it’s an incredible result. We’ve been working so hard for years, it’s deserved. « Third, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) limits the damage and keeps three points ahead in the world championship on his rival Batavian. It is also in the Netherlands that Formula 1 will meet next weekend, in Zandvoort, where the atmosphere promises to be hot.
The French in the dots
Despite the disappointment of the fans and many drivers, we will note all the same that the two Frenchmen score points. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) takes sixth place, just ahead of Esteban Ocon (Alpine). Just like the two Ferraris, out of the top 10 on Saturday, who took advantage of the penalties distributed on the grid to finish eighth with Charles Leclerc and tenth with Carlos Sainz.
