SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium – The highly anticipated Belgian Grand Prix race was affected by heavy rain, causing delays and challenging conditions for the drivers.
The rain began just as the vehicles were preparing for the starting grid, intensifying during the 30 minutes before the start of the competition.
A formation lap was carried out with the cars behind the Safety Car, but visibility was deemed too low to continue, according to the drivers’ feedback.
The red flag was quickly displayed, forcing the cars to return to the pits and delaying the official start of the race.
The McLaren team informed championship leader Oscar Piastri that heavy rain was expected for at least 40 minutes, although weather radars indicated a possible decrease in intensity afterwards.
Finally, the race started at 16:20 local time, with four laps behind the Safety Car before the race director opted for a rolling start instead of the traditional grid start.La visibilidad fue considerada demasiado baja para continuar después de una vuelta de formación.The race in Belgium has historically been marked by heavy rains, including a famous multiple accident on the first lap of the 1998 race.
In 2021, the race ended after only two laps behind the Safety Car, resulting in half points being awarded to each driver.
After that incident, the rules were modified to avoid similar situations.
Currently, at least two laps of the race are required for points to be awarded.
If less than 25% of the race distance is completed (11 laps at Spa), the top five finishers receive points: 6-4-3-2-1.
If between 25% and 50% of the race distance is completed, the top nine finishers receive points: 13-10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1.
If between 50% and 75% of the race distance is completed, the top ten finishers receive points: 19-14-12-10-8-6-4-3-2-1.
Full points are awarded if more than 75% of the race distance is completed.
