Max Verstappen Hits out at FIA over ‘Too Careful’ Safety Decisions at Belgian GP

Max Verstappen was not happy with race officials for delaying the Belgian GP start due to poor weather.

Max Verstappen Hits out at FIA over ‘Too Careful’ Safety Decisions at Belgian GP

Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

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The Belgian GP was marred by challenging weather conditions. The start of the race was delayed due to a lack of visibility. Race Control ultimately decided to go ahead with a rolling start. Now, Max Verstappen has criticized the FIA for being too cautious over the situation.

Spa-Francorchamps is no stranger to challenging wet conditions. In 2021, the race was abandoned after just a handful of laps under the Safety Car, giving drivers half the points according to their positions. The infamous weekend is still instilled in the minds of fans, something they remember every time a race is red-flagged due to bad weather.

Max Verstappen is one of the biggest traditionalists in the F1 paddock. The four-time world champion is never afraid of racing in difficult situations, something that he just takes as another challenge. Thus, the Red Bull star was not happy with the delayed start to the race at Spa-Francorchamps.

The Dutch driver revealed that Red Bull had adjusted his rear wing to suit wet conditions. However, the 27-year-old pointed out that the track was almost good enough for slicks straightaway, with virtually minimal racing in the rain, making the change unnecessary. Max Verstappen even claimed that the track was completely safe since the start, and there was no need for the officials to be so cautious with their approach.

We put on a wing for the rain, but in the end we barely drove in the rain so that was worthless. It was all very safe, the decisions were too careful which is disappointing.

Max Verstappen said post-race

Max Verstappen lambasts ‘shameful’ Belgian GP delay

The Belgian GP was delayed by over an hour as Race Control waited for the track to be safe. Officials were concerned that drivers would have trouble with visibility, something that could be extremely dangerous on a high-speed track like Spa-Francorchamps. Though, Max Verstappen is not a fan of such extra safety measures.

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)
Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

The reigning world champion was adamant that there was no real need to delay the race start. So much so, the Red Bull star found the entire ordeal to be shameful for Formula 1. Max Verstappen insisted that if the race had started at its planned time, it could’ve gone on to become a wet weather classic of modern F1. Unfortunately, fans missed out on such a possibility as the track was starting to dry quickly by the time racing began.

We could’ve went miles earlier, an hour earlier. It was a bit of a shame. It just ruins a nice classic wet race as well so, we either still push to go for a wet race or we just stop racing in the wet and we wait for it to be dry. But that’s not what you want, right?

Max Verstappen explained

Max Verstappen might have some valid arguments over the delay at Spa-Francorchamps. However, safety is always the priority in Formula 1. Race officials decided to wait to avoid any risk of a major collision. The Belgian GP is a dangerous weekend, with the track taking the life of F2 racer Anthoine Hubert in 2021. Thus, even an hour delay is worth it if it ensures that no driver suffers from such a fate again.

Read More: “Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda,” Lando Norris Gives Brutal Verdict on Close Defeat to Oscar Piastri at Belgian GP