Max Verstappen
He wanted to go right to the top of the podium, sure, but so? “Of course it’s a win, but you don’t want to win like that,” said Max Verstappen after a strange day. The fact that he prevailed in qualifying on Saturday under adverse conditions ahead of the surprise runner-up George Russell (Williams) and world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) should be even more valuable to him than initially assumed. Because there was no race in the true sense of the word at the Belgian Grand Prix. It was raining so hard and incessantly that the World Championship race was not officially over until 6.45 p.m. after a long back and forth and two laps behind the safety car.
Verstappen was the only one in the field who didn’t complain about the poor visibility – of course, only Bernd Mayländer was driving in front of him at reduced speed in the bright red car. “Of course the view behind me was very bad,” said Verstappen: “Above all, I think that you shouldn’t risk anything in view of the recent events. That just didn’t feel right.” He didn’t seem really satisfied, but it was a different kind of start-finish victory. He’s already helped him: In the title duel, the 23-year-old Dutchman is a little closer to world champion Lewis Hamilton.
George Russell
George Russell has been driving for Williams in Formula 1 for three years now. A team that has won the constructors’ world championship more often than almost any other racing team in the all-time best of the premier class – only Ferrari is better. The glory of bygone days does not shine quite as brightly, the car is one of the inferior in the field. But this season in particular, Russell often gets more out of the car than would actually be expected. In Spielberg it was eighth at the start, after which he said it felt like a pole position for him. And now in Spa he even made it to second place, ahead of world champion Hamilton!
In the race, it was clear to the 23-year-old Briton himself that a lot would have to happen to stay that far ahead. How good for the great talent that made this Grand Prix one of the most bizarre in the sport: a lot of waiting and chatting, finally two laps in the rain behind the safety car, not fending off a single overtaking maneuver – and then Russell actually crossed the finish line in second place . “We are not often rewarded for great qualifications, but today we absolutely were,” said Russell after his first podium in Formula 1: “It is a bit strange feeling to achieve that in this way. But in the end we are rewarded been doing a fantastic job yesterday. ” Soon it should also be known whether he himself will be rewarded for his good job: Mercedes motorsport director Toto Wolff said in Belgium that the decision had already been made as to who will be in the Silver Arrow with Hamilton in 2022.
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is known as the strong voice of Formula 1 and lived up to this reputation again on Sunday. Some drivers said that the fans – thousands of whom stayed on the track for hours in cold temperatures and continuous rain – were the real heroes of this Grand Prix. But Hamilton also clearly criticized those responsible for the international association Fia with the praise. “Today was a farce,” he wrote on Instagram and had previously said at the press conference: “When they sent us out at the end, they knew that the track wasn’t better. They only did it so that we were two laps behind Driven safety car, which is the minimum requirement for a race. I really hope that the fans get their money back today. “
To hold off the fans for so long, the seven-time world champion didn’t like that. “We were sent out for one reason and one reason alone,” said Hamilton: “I just don’t think we want that. We have better values than a sport than that.” From a sporting point of view, the back and forth at Spa didn’t hurt him. He’s still leading the overall standings ahead of Max Verstappen, albeit by a narrow margin. Because it was not possible to drive the full race distance, half points were awarded and it is now 202.5 to 199.5.
Lando Norris
How dangerous the conditions were on the circuit in Spa-Francorchamps this weekend became clear in the qualification for the Belgian Grand Prix. Lando Norris, who had even warned against aquaplaning on the team radio, raced up the Eau Rouge Depression in the hunt for the fastest time – and lost control. The car was demolished when it hit the lane, Norris was uninjured. The prospect of actually starting the race from the very beginning was futsch – which would have been further proof of his talent after three podium finishes this season.
His mechanics got the car out for race day. Because the McLaren’s gearbox had to be replaced, Norris was moved five places down to 14th place. But instead of making up for the lost places, the 21-year-old Brit spent a different Sunday anyway. During the long wait, some drivers asked about the weather, waved to the fans in the stands, listened to music, talked to the team or kept moving. Lando Norris? Took a nap.
Mick Schumacher
This weekend was a special one for Mick Schumacher. He drove for the first time in a Formula 1 car on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, almost exactly 30 years after his father Michael, who made his debut in the premier class here on August 25, 1991 – and then became a seven-time world champion . The route is of particular importance for the family, father and son have celebrated successes here and appreciate the challenging uphill and downhill course. As a tribute, the 22-year-old had chosen a helmet design that was very similar to that of his father, he answered many questions on this topic and was looking forward to its premiere. That should actually stay in Schumacher’s memory – as the shortest race in Formula 1 history. Schumacher was sixteenth.
Sergio Perez
It was announced on Friday that Sergio Perez had passed the test and will be allowed to drive a Red Bull racing car for another year. The performance has to be right – and the results. In the rain of Spa, the Mexican made it into seventh place on the grid on Saturday, while team-mate Max Verstappen took pole position. But a lot can happen in a race like this, but Perez was out before the chaos took its course. In a sense, he created a symbol for what was to follow.
On the warm-up lap he lost control of his RB16B on the wet track and slid to the right over the grass into a pile of tires at the Les Combes bend. Shortly afterwards I heard that this was not well received by the employer. “Sergio says he got aquaplaning all of a sudden,” Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko told Sky: “The conditions are definitely borderline, but something like this shouldn’t happen on the warm-up lap.” Team boss Christian Horner was in a somewhat milder mood: “That shows how tricky the conditions are out there.” During the long wait until the start of the race, the mechanics managed to fix the car – and Perez drove the two laps behind the safety car. Of course, there were no points for it.
Michael Masi
On Sunday there were two who were criticized: The weather and the race management around Michael Masi. The weather, everyone quickly agreed, couldn’t help it being the way it is. However, the Australian, who has held this position at the Fia International Automobile Association since 2019, could have made other decisions in Belgium. That was already discussed on Saturday when Lando Norris had an accident. Masi could have interrupted or canceled the qualification earlier. On Sunday, some people wondered what all the waiting was about when there was no prospect of drought in the Ardennes and a regular race.
“I don’t think it’s good that the audience has been delayed for so long. They should come up with something better for the future,” said Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko at Sky. Moving, for example, he thought, but then he didn’t know whether it would be that easy with the TV contracts. One of them had already figured out what it was about again: money. Masi rejected the allegations: “We aimed at a window that we thought was there,” he said on Sunday: “Unfortunately, the weather radar changed so quickly that it didn’t work.” At least no rain is predicted for the next race in Zandvoort.