FIA president Jean Todt said he is “very sorry” for those who attended Sunday’s washed-out Belgian Grand Prix, insisting that a “careful review” of the regulations will be undertaken in October by the governing body in collaboration with F1 and the sport’s teams.
Poor weather hovering over Spa-Francorchamps led to spectators soaked to the bone waiting for hours for an elusive start to the 12th round of the 2021 F1 world championship.
Late in the day, the field ventured out behind the safety car for three laps that sealed the race’s official status, with half-points awarded to the top ten drivers based on their grid positions.
On Sunday evening, there was little debate about race control’s decision to abort proceedings.
But the subsequent podium and points allocation was seen by the fans, and indeed by many team bosses, as merely adding insult to injury after the botched event.
“This year’s Belgian Grand Prix presented extraordinary challenges,” said Todt, who is currently serving his final year at the helm of the FIA.
“The weather windows predicted by the forecasters did not appear throughout the day, and while a small window did appear late in the day during which there was an attempt to start the race, conditions quickly worsened again.
“Therefore, due to the lack of visibility created by the spray behind the cars, we could not run the full race in sufficiently safe conditions for the drivers, marshals as well as the brave spectators who waited for many hours in the rain, for whom I am very sorry.
“The FIA, together with Formula 1 and the teams, will carefully review the regulations to see what can be learned and improved for the future.
“The findings, including the topic of points allocation, will be added to the agenda of the next F1 Commission meeting on October 5.”
On Monday, Spa Grand Prix’s Vanessa Maes, the promoter of the Belgian Grand Prix, said that she would discuss with Formula One Management a compensation package for the benefit of those who attended Sunday’s event.
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