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Belgian Grand Prix ‘Farce’ Reminds Lewis Hamilton of 2020 Australian GP F1 Debacle

Published 08/30/2021, 4:34 AM EDT

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via Reuters

After a long summer break, Formula 1 returned to the Spa-Francorchamps, and the second half of the season kicked off with a dull start as the rain hampered the entire race and eventually got canceled.

Due to heavy rainfall, the formation lap got delayed by 25 minutes; the drivers followed the safety car before the race director Michael Masi threw the red flag. And after the second restart, the race got canceled after completing just over 4 laps behind the safety car. Hence, with the cars failing to complete over 75% of the race, the top ten drivers were rewarded with half points.

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Meanwhile, the seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, compares this race with the 2020 Australian Grand Prix when hours before the FP1 session, the event got canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

What did Lewis Hamilton say?

As quoted by the official Formula 1 website, when asked if he had experienced something like the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix before, Lewis Hamilton replied: “Weather-wise, I don’t think. I don’t remember experiencing… I mean, I’ve raced for years, so I don’t remember on the weather-side.”

“In the background, us being in Melbourne last year when we shouldn’t have been, there are some similarities to how today’s gone down but at least everyone’s safe.”

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“Ultimately, the visibility behind… once we did the start on the grid, as soon as Max pulled away, he just disappeared. I couldn’t even see his red light ahead of me, so it must have been even worse for the guys back at the back,” the Knight added.

Fans should get a refund: Hamilton

Belgian GP got canceled hardly 10 minutes after the second restart under the safety car, about three hours after its scheduled start time. The fans waited for hours in the grandstands in cold and wet conditions just to witness a competitive race. Due to this, the reigning champion, Lewis Hamilton, believes fans should get a refund for the shortest race in Formula 1 history.

“Yeah, firstly I feel really sorry for the fans today. Obviously, it’s no one’s fault with this weather but the fans have been incredible today to stick with us this whole time and hold out for a potential race,” said Hamilton.

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via Reuters

“They knew when they sent us out at the end there that the track wasn’t any better and they did it just so we could start two laps behind the safety car, which is the minimum requirement for a race. I really hope the fans get their money back today.”

Lewis Hamilton Reveals a ‘Haunting’ Story During His Trip to the Toilet Amidst Delayed Belgian GP

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Should the fans present in the grandstands in Spa during the race receive a refund? What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Written by:

Pingaksh Sharma

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Pingaksh Sharma is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. He has been following this sport since India hosted the Grand Prix in 2012 and has been an ardent supporter of the eventual race winner, Sebastian Vettel. He is also a fan of Max Verstappen and Red Bull and hopes the former breaks the Lewis Hamilton dominance.
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