Poll: Belgian Grand Prix 2021, Spa-Francorchamps - Race 12

[Junglist]

Some fans boggle my mind. You have sports people standing up for the paying fans and people still find a way to complain about it

can you imagine if some of the drivers just said "well we gave them 2 laps, what are they whining about?"

 

[englishpremier]

Would be pretty funny if the FIA themselves were sued for bringing the sport into disrepute over the shambles.

One does have to wonder why other sports and series of equal standing are better able to organise and deal with issues as they crop up.

 

[adam cool dude]

Would be pretty funny if the FIA themselves were sued for bringing the sport into disrepute over the shambles.

One does have to wonder why other sports and series of equal standing are better able to organise and deal with issues as they crop up.

To be fair what other sporting events run over a series of days?

 

[Psycho Ned]

To be fair what other sporting events run over a series of days?

Cricket.

just checked the ecb test match refund policy. 0-15 overs full refund, 15-30 overs 50% refund, above 30 overs no refund.

And they don’t usually get The players to come out in a wetsuit for 15.1 overs just to fleece the fans either Much fairer, fans should have been entitled to at least 50% refund yesterday.

 

[Mr Jack]

Cricket.

To be fair, Cricket get cancelled due to rain on a regular basis, F1 doesn't. The closest to this weekend's chaos I can find in the entire history of F1 is the '91 Australian GP which was ended after 16 laps due to rain. I expect the rules will be looked at after this event, but it's just not something that has happened before. F1 has always managed to hold a race in inclement weather. It looks like the combination of the later scheduled start time, bad weather, the particular conditions of Spa, the accidents earlier in the weekend, and rule changes to the race duration that look like they were made to satisfy broadcasters combined to create this mess.

Oh, and re: refunds, I do wonder what the financial state of the Spa circuit is after the money lost to Covid.

 

[mmj_uk]

It wasn't even as though they couldn't race, it was a choice coming from people who think the horrid halo and run offs everywhere aren't over the top safety measures.

 

[englishpremier]

To be fair what other sporting events run over a series of days?

MotoGP. off the top of my head Qatar 2009 was held on a Monday. After the 125s were cancelled after a few laps, and the Moto 2 race laps reduced.

 

[Pigeon_Killer]

It wasn't even as though they couldn't race, it was a choice coming from people who think the horrid halo and run offs everywhere aren't over the top safety measures.

You mean the halo that saved Grosean's life?

 

[chrismscotland]

There are a couple of empty slots, but let's face it, by then the weather at Spa will be even more unpredictable than it was yesterday.

True, but Spa is always a gamble weather wise, we went to Nurburgring in October knowing its snowed before.

 

[hudson86]

What a farce, cant believe I sat all afternoon watching that and didnt realise Btcc was on Itv4.

Loving all the posts defending one of the richest sports in the world against the incredibly cynical attempt to call it a race and suffer no financial consequences.

 

[chrismscotland]

It wasn't even as though they couldn't race, it was a choice coming from people who think the horrid halo and run offs everywhere aren't over the top safety measures.

Ironically it's the tarmac run offs on the fast part of the track that probably influenced it not running, far too much risk of a car bouncing back into the track as we've seen in recent years, the gravel coming back there can't happen soon enough.

 

[hudson86]

It was probably Michael Masi, Lewis.

 

[KiNgPiN83]

You mean the halo that saved Grosean's life?

It's not worth it mate, he's just a post and run.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

It's not worth it mate, he's just a post and run.

Indeed, not to mention the w-series incident the day before where the Halo was almost certainly a large part of why drivers all made it out ok!!

 

[mmj_uk]

You mean the halo that saved Grosean's life?

Sooner or later a driver will die by being trapped by it and it will be abolished. It's just another "being seen to be doing something" measure trying to pretend that an inherently dangerous sport isn't dangerous. It's more dangerous giving drivers an illusion that they are safe.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Whilst you may be right in that one day the Halo may prevent a driver from getting out of a car, it's already proved it's worth and I'm sure will do many times before someone ends up dying because of it. Yes it's ugly, but it's here to stay now.

 

[booyaka]

Even after yesterdays events, I find it sad that the powers that be in F1/FIA still insist that points are the correct thing to do.

I don't understand them justifying handing out points/podiums etc for that nonsense yesterday.

Even making up/changing the rules about the 3 hours window to run a GP, when it was clear that the rain was NEVER going to let up and allow a race to run.

Does nothing for the "integrity" of the sport.

They brought in the rule of the 3 hours after the 2011 Canadian GP - but like I say - whats the point in have a "rule" and then just ignoring that.

Pathetic and very disappointing. I've no issue with the non-racing - weather was terrible and didn't want to see any racing. But to send them out when it was clearly NEVER going to improve just to call it a "race" is utterly embarrassing.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

Sooner or later a driver will die by being trapped by it and it will be abolished. It's just another "being seen to be doing something" measure trying to pretend that an inherently dangerous sport isn't dangerous. It's more dangerous giving drivers an illusion that they are safe.

Yeah, because that's what happened with seat belts, helmets, wheel tethers, race suits, gloves, etc/etc..

Any accident where the Halo becomes so heavily damaged it would stop the driver exiting is almost 100% going to have resulted in a dead driver if it was absent.

F1 changes all the time, if you don't embrace that, I don't know why you are still watching it..

 

[Mr Jack]

Indeed, not to mention the w-series incident the day before where the Halo was almost certainly a large part of why drivers all made it out ok!!

And Leclerc, and Peroni.

Look, I opposed the halo when it was introduced, so I'm not going to judge anyone who was against it a few years ago but now it's been proven to save lives I don't see how anyone can say that they think slightly uglier cars are not worth the lives of Grosjean and Leclerc and the others from different formulas and expect to be taken seriously.

 

[GR63]

Lewis now suggesting F1 should find a slot to put on a "free" race in Belgium.... there are still a couple of empty calendar slots.....

Purely cos its my favourite race and I feel disappointed we didnt get to see a race, I'd be all for this.. but sure there are lots of reasons why not...