The FIA has confirmed the top 10 finishers in the Belgian Grand Prix will be awarded points despite the results being based on a single lap of running.
A long-standing rule states points “no points will be awarded if the leader has completed two laps or less”.The result was taken based on the two laps of running completed behind the Safety Car when the race was restarted. As per article 51.14 of the sporting regulations, the result is taken from the lap prior to the signal to suspend the race being given. Therefore the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix officially ran to a distance of one lap.
The FIA justified the decision to award points as usual because Max Verstappen had crossed the start/finish line three times, “therefore complying with the requirement for the leader to have completed more than two laps in order for half points to be awarded”.
This is the first time half points have been awarded since the value of a win was increased to 25 points. Verstappen therefore receives 12.5 points for his win.
George Russell’s first podium finish in second place comes with nine points, and Lewis Hamilton in third place takes 7.5.
The remaining points scorers are Daniel Ricciardo (six), Sebastian Vettel (five), Pierre Gasly (four), Esteban Ocon (three), Charles Leclerc (two). Nicholas Latifi (one) and Carlos Sainz Jnr (0.5).
In the FIA’s race classification no driver is credited with the fastest lap. Nikita Mazepin set the quickest lap during the race, but would not be eligible for a point as he finished outside of the top 10.
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2021 Belgian Grand Prix
- Spa spectators who saw no racing offered prize draw for 2022 tickets
- Ocon congratulated by past French F1 aces after breakthrough win
- ‘Wrong to award points for a couple of laps behind the Safety Car’ – Horner
- Hamilton offers “exclusive gift” to fans who attended Belgian GP wash-out
- Change rules to give points for qualifying if race can’t happen – Seidl
Jere (@jerejj)
29th August 2021, 19:20
Still great achievements for Russell and Mazepin.
cdfemke (@cdfemke)
29th August 2021, 19:43
Mazepin? What result, no points achieved.
F1ed (@rinodina)
29th August 2021, 19:57
@dcfemke: Well, at least he has achieved an “F” behind his name for the Spa race in the World Championship’s Standings table at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Formula_One_World_Championship!
Lee1
29th August 2021, 20:40
Even if he was in the top 10 I think it is stupid to award points for a fastest lap done under a safety car…
Ancient1 (@ancient1)
30th August 2021, 10:12
ROFL!!!!
Absolutely stunned that MAZ, an oligarch’s son, got FTD, under a Safety Car!!!!!!!!
Nick T.
30th August 2021, 2:13
The OP was obviously joking. What is wrong with you people?
melanos
29th August 2021, 19:25
After half points are given (or should I say presented) in the farcical Spa race, the Abolitio Memoriae F1 WDC shows a even greater domination by Max Verstappen. The positions are:
1 VER 218.5 points
2 NOR 130 points
3 BOT 125 points
4 PER 121 points
5 LEC 104 points
6 SAI 98 points
7 RIC 71.5 points
8 GAS 64 points
9 VET 56 points
10 OCO 53 points
11 ALO 48.5 points
12 STR 29 points
13 TSU 22 points
15 RUS 14 points
14 LAT 8 points
16 RAI 5 points
17 GIO 2 points
18 SCH 0 points
19 MAZ 0 points
The only positional change: George Russell leaves his teammate behind
No positional changes in the AMF1 WCC (with Valtteri Bottas’ points doubled to compensate for his lack of a teammate), but Williams leaves their rival Alfa Romeo well behind
RBR 339,5 points
MERC 250 points
FERRARI 202 points
McLAREN 201,5 points
ALPINE 101,5 points
ALPHA TAURI 86 points
ASTON MARTIN 85 points
WILLIAMS 22 points
ALFA ROMEO 7 points
HAAS 0 points
In the Bernie style AMF1 Medal classification, George Russell leaps from 16th to 9th thanks to his 2nd position today:
1 VER 9 wins 1 ninth
2 PER 1 win 1second
3 LEC 1 win 2 thirds
4 OCO 1 win 1 fourth
5 BOT 6 seconds 1 third
6 VET 2 seconds 1 fourth
7 NOR 1 second 4 thirds
8 SAI 1 second 1 third
9 RUS 1 second 1 eighth
10 RIC 1 third 1 fourth
11 GAS 1 third 2 fifth
12 ALO 1 fourth 2 sixths
13 TSU 1 sixth 1 seventh
14 STR 4 sevenths 2 ninths
15 LAT 1 seventh 1 eighth
16 GIO 1 ninth 3 elevenths
17 RAI 5 tenths 1 eleventh
18 SCH 1 twelfth 1 thirteenth
19 MAZ 1 fourteenth 3 sixteenths
Anthony Q
29th August 2021, 19:35
Why do you leave out Lewis???
Biker56 (@biker56)
29th August 2021, 19:53
Looks like someone is living rent-free in your head.
melanos
29th August 2021, 20:27
Nonentities live nowhere
amian
29th August 2021, 20:06
Hahha, hilarious post!!! I had totally forgotten about Bernie’s medal system proposition.
TOP-5 absurdity awards today:
1. The Belgian non-GP
2. Nikita Mazepin with the fastest lap of the race
3. Your post
4. Keith using words for numbers in the article above “nine points […] Daniel Ricciardo (six).” etc.
5. Drivers being awarded points for the non-race.
kuvemar
29th August 2021, 21:24
Numbers under 13 are usually written as words.
Patrick (@paeschli)
29th August 2021, 22:13
Really circuitous about this: where does this come from? I suppose there’s a reason 13 is the cut-off?
Ancient1 (@ancient1)
30th August 2021, 9:42
…actually single digit [ie. 1-9] only.
James Hosford
29th August 2021, 20:23
What on earth is wrong with you?
Dave
29th August 2021, 20:43
I don’t know what the hell you’re on but guess what? I’m asking you one question now. Remember the comment exactly 4 months ago about Toto? What does all of that even mean? I answered “The-“. As a mockery.
melanos
29th August 2021, 21:04
Honestly, I don’t
Dave
29th August 2021, 21:09
Well I just did another mockery
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th August 2021, 20:58
Well, this is really an anti-hamilton classification, but if you take away hamilton, then verstappen dominating isn’t that great achievement, cause we all know norris is performing verstappen-level but has a clear inferior car, which is shown in the points difference. And despite this unlucky mistake-no-race combination, he’s STILL ahead of bottas and perez!
melanos
29th August 2021, 21:32
This is anti-nobody, but otherwise I can perfectly agree with you, I believe Lando Norris has so far been the best racer and most consistent driver this season, even if I still believe that both Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have a bit more natural speed. But this is not my ranking of best drivers, simply the scores. And we all know (or should know) that 80-90% of the points are due to the machine/team, not the driver (at least in the absence of rain).
In case it’s not clear enough: I’m by no means a Verstappen fan (I have been nobody’s fan since Alain Prost retired) and moreover he does not strike me as the kind of guy I’d feel like having a few beers with. But anyway he is easily a top 3 driver now, and while only Valtteri Bottas and Checo Perez have the machinery to compete with him, both are vastly inferior drivers.
Patrick (@paeschli)
29th August 2021, 22:14
Please tell me where I can purchase this drug, it looks great
RedEaredRabbit (@redearedrabbit)
30th August 2021, 5:02
This is my favourite post of all time
ndalesi (@ndalesi)
30th August 2021, 14:17
You still haven’t explained why you left Lewis out of your bizarre analysis. I’m very intrigued (Black list?)
Biker56 (@biker56)
1st September 2021, 20:12
A few years ago the English far-right ran a set of football leagues which ignored all non-white or foreign players, and all the goals they scored, etc. This looks like something of the same sort, amirite?
RandomMallard (@)
29th August 2021, 19:25
That can’t be how it works though?
You record the results after 1 lap but say 2 laps have been completed? This is like the fast lane to a courtroom?
I mean, I feel as happy as I can for George, Max and Lewis etc., but even as an RB fan I cannot take pleasure from points being awarded in such a contradictory manner?
Most of all though, at least everyone is safe.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
29th August 2021, 19:28
Beyond ridiculous. A 1 lap lap under safety car cannot influence a world championship. It just can’t.
greasemonkey
29th August 2021, 19:39
It does make sense, game design and investment wise, at reduced points (such as half). Qualifying is part of the event, usually affecting scoring via seeding the race. But when there is effectively no race, for legitimate reasons, sporting/gaming wise, getting half ROI sounds about right as a yield up to that point.
One lap was just a technicality to make it happen under rules as written. Sport design wise, zero laps would have been enough.
Another option would be to give points for qual instead of an exception for an incomplete race. I’d be fine with that too. But neither option, in a series as massively investment intense per event as this, zero yield while still succeeding is not correct.
Not allowing for postponement is on F1 itself, not Spa, so the refund to spectators should come from F1, not Spa. F1 chose to risk the schedule and ruleset as-is, with no recourse, so when that risk fails, F1 owes. IndyCar, for example, builds in a lot more ability to deal with weather delays.
Lee1
29th August 2021, 21:02
I must.point out that 1 lap is under the limit to award points… They have ignored their own rules!
jff
29th August 2021, 22:44
The article explains that it is two laps, and why.
I’m not sure that’s consistent with previous Red Flag shortened races though.
drmouse (@drmouse)
29th August 2021, 20:31
It would have been even more farcical, in my opinion, for the entire weekend to count for nothing at all.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th August 2021, 21:00
Agree with dr. mouse.
Balue (@balue)
29th August 2021, 21:51
Indeed. If no qualifying, practice times are used instead and it’s just a continuation of that.
melanos
29th August 2021, 22:24
Even under SC conditions, keeping your quali position is not a given. You cannot be (legally) overtaken, but a shunt or a mech failure is not unheard of. Also, you can get 0.5 points for the FLAP (or 1 in the unlikely case that over 75% of the race distance is run behind SC). In this particular race, Lance Stroll lost 2 positions due to a penalty for a rear wing change, and Nikita Mazepin got the FLAP. Neither changed the score, as both were way beyond 10th. Anyway the positions lost by Stroll might make him lose rank in the final WDC tally (on countback, in case of a tie) but this is also very unlikely.
Ancient1 (@ancient1)
30th August 2021, 10:06
Trivia: mindful that circumstances are different [BUT note the outcome!!] the ’84 WDC was won by ‘Niki’ RIP, [72 pts] from Alain Prost [71.5 pts] due to one Jacky Ickx hanging out the checkered flag @ Monaco too early [allegedly to stop Ayrton Senna catching (at a great rate of knots) & passing Prost for the win]. Talk about down to the wire – Prost won the last race @ Estoril. ‘Niki’ was third until Murray RIP Walker’s mate, Nigel Mansell, DNF’d from second!!!
Andy (@turbof1)
29th August 2021, 19:29
So let us get things straight: they didn’t allow running today because the conditions were too risky (I can get behind that). Then they let them run for 2 laps to not refund ticket buyers and TV channels under the motto “screw safety when money is on the line”. They then forgot about the countback in the regulations, ending up with just one lap on the board, but still try to make it count as 2 laps?
I dearly hope there will be lawsuits, and I am fully expecting those.
Coventry Climax
29th August 2021, 20:07
I’ll add to that: And I sincerely hope the FIA loses it.
DaveD (@daved)
29th August 2021, 22:17
Completely agree. The FIA is making sure they “get theirs” and screw everyone else. They are the ones who should have to cover the cost of this farce. There is no reason they don’t have some allowance for weather issues and this is on them.
Stephen Higgins
29th August 2021, 19:31
If they want a ‘result’ for the record books, then fine.
But there is no way this should count towards the championship.
Sam (@undercut677)
29th August 2021, 20:28
It didn’t. Therefore the qualy counted at half points. Thre idea that Bottas should get the same points from this weekend as Russell is the ridiculous idea.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th August 2021, 21:04
Indeed, I’m so sorry to not see a race that could’ve been great in this conditions and probably good even with dry track, but if I need to find some positives out of this:
1) Verstappen recovers a little of the unfairly built gap on hamilton
2) Russell gets a deserved super-result, let’s not forget he should’ve won his 1-race in mercedes
3) Bottas actually gets a penalty for taking out a few cars in hungary, as in he didn’t make a single point because of the penalty
4) Vettel recovers a few of the points he lost unfairly in hungary
5) Ricciardo also makes some decent points after saving mclaren’s day after norris’ crash
6) Norris manages to stay in 3rd place in the championship despite his mistake, he was so fast he deserves it
ppzzus (@ppzzus)
29th August 2021, 19:32
What an embarrassment.
t1redmonkey (@t1redmonkey)
29th August 2021, 19:37
In some ways this is more farcical than the 2005 US GP. Or close to it at least. And I didn’t think that was something we’d ever see again in the sport.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th August 2021, 21:06
It absolutely is, there were less cars but they ran a full race!
Sam
29th August 2021, 19:38
If we were to modify the rules then I think giving points on qualifying position is good if no racing laps take place, however, I would prefer one third or one quarter points rather than one half.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th August 2021, 21:07
It’s not fair, it’s too little, conditions were treacherous and they need to get some worthy points, half is already a huge potential loss.
Steve (@scbriml)
30th August 2021, 16:43
@esploratore1 Then have a sliding scale based on what proportion of racing (key word) laps have been run.
No racing laps = 1/5 points based on qualifying positions.
Then based on race laps, go 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full points.
To award half points for following the SC for two laps is a joke and a terrible insult to all those drivers that have ever scored legitimate F1 points.
Broke1984 (@broke1984)
29th August 2021, 19:39
Get rid of these double and triple headers and leave the option of the circus being able to stay in town for the following weekend
drmouse (@drmouse)
29th August 2021, 20:34
I don’t think that would be possible, in most cases, even if it wasn’t a double (or more) header.
Qeki (@qeki)
29th August 2021, 19:41
So techinally by this rule there could be 20 qualifyings and that would decide the championship.
Pironi the Provocateur (@pironitheprovocateur)
29th August 2021, 19:43
Fire Masi.
Dave
29th August 2021, 19:54
His time’s over.
James Hosford
29th August 2021, 20:25
Oh get over yourself.
Dave
30th August 2021, 5:53
I’m not him, but no and never.
Darryn Smith (@darryn)
29th August 2021, 22:54
Yes, but he is only the symptom.
Mahesh (@m47e57)
29th August 2021, 19:43
What a joke…
ppzzus (@ppzzus)
29th August 2021, 19:44
If I was a team fighting Williams in the constructors I would be absolutely furious.
Dave
29th August 2021, 21:11
I would do a furious rant too while keeping my language clean.
MarkusF
29th August 2021, 19:48
A sad race, but let’s remember the problem was the rain, not any conspiration. I’ve seen tens of incredibly boring races during the years that were decided from the start by the pole position in incredibly boring races, like most Hungaroring races, Barcelona or even Monaco.
Taking that into account, I don’t see why making a pole position in those circuits deserve points, followed by 90 minutes of intense boredom of cars following other cars with no excitement at all, and this shouldn’t. Just a shame it had to happen in Spa, the most interesting circuit by far in the championship.
Other than that, FIA should allow to run races like this kind on Monday.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
29th August 2021, 19:51
Ok this is something that probably nobody expected to ever come up, but perhaps there should be a rule that lap times set under safety car cannot count as the driver’s fastest lap. It seems ridiculous that they were going to award a fastest lap point for the person who presumably left the biggest gap to the car in front so they could go ‘faster’ on the following lap. That just encourages unsafe driving behind the safety car.
Also, with all the downtime they had between red flags I’m amazed that we didn’t have every driver on the grid attempt to do that, as the teams had more than enough opportunity to figure this out. I know there is another rule about how far you can drop back from the car in front, but teams are always pushing that boundary when there are points on the line. As it turns out, the delta between fastest lap times was only 1.4 seconds across the field so not sure if any of them really attempted to do this.
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
29th August 2021, 19:56
Gary Anderson is a daft old man sometimes but I like his suggestion that F1 should let the first car be the safety car under full yellow conditions to let them all clear the standing water away at actual, not safety car speeds.
Davethechicken
29th August 2021, 19:58
Just because you can’t understand him, doesn’t mean it is he who is the daft.
Keith Crossley
29th August 2021, 20:06
+1
drmouse (@drmouse)
29th August 2021, 20:37
Tbh I believe they should get rid of the safety car altogether. 90% of the time, they could get away with a VSC (and that would probably have worked in this situation), and if that isn’t any good, red flag.
Mark (@mrcento)
30th August 2021, 0:27
To be fair, it’s not a crazy suggestion. they could effectively just treat it as a VSC in these conditions. The only time a real safety car is really needed is to guide cars around debris on the track.
rodewulf (@rodewulf)
29th August 2021, 19:59
At least now Liberty Media’s Formula 1 can take proud of itself for holding a race which wasn’t called a race and holding a non-race which has been called a race. It fits well with current times.
DaveW (@dmw)
29th August 2021, 20:02
Hol up. Isn’t the finish line before the start line? So did verstappen cross the “start/finish line” three times?
Bulgarian (@bulgarian)
29th August 2021, 20:08
FIA is cheating! There was no even “one lap”! No points and money back for spectators is the only correct decision to save this Belgian GP.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
29th August 2021, 21:09
Points and money back seems fairer.
Darryn Smith (@darryn)
29th August 2021, 22:55
Flemish International Assistance. They want to gift this on to Max.
Plossl (@)
29th August 2021, 20:17
After the 3hrs of watching Masi make a pigs ear of everything he then goes and forgets the 1 lap count back on a red flag therefore meaning they only did 1 racing lap behind the safety car…. and then they award half points and dish out the trophies.
Words fail me…
Bitten&Hisses (@al-perry)
29th August 2021, 20:26
Justice for Mazepin! He must be credited with the fastest lap.
It’s as legit as giving points for this “crossed the line three times” race
melanos
29th August 2021, 22:37
Well I thought it was official but now it seems it isn’t. The official F1 website does not list the lap times, and the Wikipedia has dropped the F (for fastest lap) it was showing for Mazepin a while ago. Certainly it was not going to give him any points, but a FLAP is a FLAP.
isthatglock21
29th August 2021, 20:47
Becoming a joke, making stuff up as they go along to save face.
Ancient1 (@ancient1)
30th August 2021, 10:29
…aka ‘creative accounting‘.
AMG44 (@amg44)
29th August 2021, 21:43
I could only imagine the general anger and disapproval of Redbull had Lewis been on pole and awarded points like this. Some are easily digesting this outcome because it favored Max.
Nick T.
30th August 2021, 2:19
And Lewis fans would be digesting it much more easily and making the same exact arguments if Lewis was on pole. It’s all driven by this utterly lame fan rivalry.
Davethechicken
30th August 2021, 8:26
+1 some fans seemingly would be happy to spend €500 on a ticket for a farce race like this, just so long as their darling gets points. This forum is full of fanatical nonsense.
In the real world of a fan spends money to watch an event that is in effect cancelled by the organiser a refund should be made.
Steve (@scbriml)
30th August 2021, 16:47
@amg44 This was a farce regardless of which driver won the “race”.
Goriot
29th August 2021, 21:45
So, Perez started the race with more fuel than the others!
(Others ran more laps than him)
He had an advantage, then.
melanos
29th August 2021, 22:39
Whatever you say, but I would think of it as a disadvantage.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
29th August 2021, 23:37
IT WAS NEVER GREEN FLAG RACING.
Dave
30th August 2021, 10:35
And Michael Masi was – well, this time – indecisive.
f12007v (@f1fan-2000)
30th August 2021, 5:23
This actually benefited lewis instead of max. If full points were given in an actual race max wld definitely win anyway. That wld mean at least 7 points cut into the points lead. However it was only 5 today.
F1 in Figures (@f1infigures)
30th August 2021, 6:35
How can a 3-lap race be a 1-lap race? If the final lap doesn’t count it should have been a 2-lap race, right?
Ancient1 (@ancient1)
30th August 2021, 10:33
Unless we get a repeat before the end of the season, one of the very few positives from this embarrassing debacle is that McLaren & Ferrari will NOT be tying for WCC.
hey (@hey)
30th August 2021, 21:22
I spent most of the delay browsing the sporting regulations and, according to those, the race never started. I certainly can’t see how it did.
It’s clear and agreed that it hadn’t started by the time the cars were sat in the pitlane behind the safety car after the formation laps. At that point we were under article 45.1 which says that there will then be no *standing* start and that articles 50 and 51 would then be followed. But 50+51 only talk about resumptions and restarting the race and aborted restarts, not starts. (51.8 specifically says the race will be *resumed* when the safety car train leaves the pitlane but you can’t resume something which hasn’t started). 50+51 still require the safety car to peel into the pitlane and for there to be a standing or rolling start before the race is restarted…. so at no point did that happen and therefore there was no point under the regs at which the race started.
The simplest way around this would have been to have a rolling start and then immediately throw a VSC for two laps. If I was Ferrari or Alfa Romeo or anyone else who felt like it was a bad day, I would seriously consider protesting the result on the grounds that the race never started.