Reactions to the 2021 Belgian GP

The long wait was not rewarded at the GP of Belgium. After almost four hours of waiting and only two formation laps behind the safety car, the stewards decided to hand out half points. Max was crowned the winner, Russell took the first podium of his career and Hamilton had to settle for third place. These are the drivers’ reactions to the 2021 GP of Belgium.

Max Verstappen

“Afterwards it was very important to take pole position here. But it’s a shame we couldn’t race today. The circumstances were very difficult. At half past three I said we could start, but behind me the visibility was very bad. The best chance to race was at three o’clock, but after that it really only got worse.’

George Russell

“We are happy with this result, regardless of how we achieved it. We must not forget that we got our first points in the race for this. And now we are here on the podium of the Belgian GP. I would never have believed that if you had told me that at the beginning of the year. If the race had gone on, it would have been difficult to maintain our position. We did the hard work yesterday and it’s nice to get a reward for that.’

Lewis Hamilton (on Instagram)

“Today was a mess and the people who paid a lot of money to see us race are the victims. There’s nothing you can do about the weather, of course, but we have such advanced equipment at our disposal that could tell us the weather wasn’t going to get any better. We were sent on the track for one reason only. Two laps behind the safety car where there is no possibility of winning or losing a spot is no racing. We should have just stopped and not put the drivers at risk. And most importantly, the fans who are the heart of our sport get their money back.”

Lando Norris (against Verstappen)

Formula 1 Championship standings after the 2021 Belgian GP