In the Driver's Seat

Farcical Belgian GP but 'brave' decision may have saved lives

A vehicle clears water from the track as the race is suspended over rainy weather during the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa on Aug 29, 2021. PHOTO: AFP
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"Today was a farce and the only people to lose out are the fans who have paid good money to watch us race."

That was seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton's take on a Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday (Aug 29) that took around two hours fifty minutes to run, yet comprised only three low-speed laps behind the safety car which made it just sufficient to make it count for points. It was only the sixth time in Formula One's 1047 races - after Spain and Austria in 1975, Monaco 1984, Australia 1991 and Malaysia 2009 - that only half points have been awarded because insufficient distance was covered.

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