Belgian GP sprint DELAYED as Spa pelted by sudden downpour

Carlos Sainz in the rain at Spa — Photo: © LAT Images

Belgian Grand Prix

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Belgian GP sprint DELAYED as Spa pelted by sudden downpour

The race was less than 10 minutes from starting when the heavens opened

Joe Ellis

Saturday 29 July 2023 17:27

The Belgian Grand Prix sprint race has been delayed with rainfall pelting the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

The torrential downpour saw gazebos very quickly erected by the teams on the grid to keep the cars and the grid slots as dry as possible.

The sprint was not far away from starting when the rain began and race control decided it was too heavy to let the race start for safety reasons.

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Race control originally stated that the formation lap would commence at 17:12 local time but after waiting for the heavy shower to pass, it will actually behind at 17:35 local time.

Safety is paramount

Now more than ever safety has to take precedence at Spa-Francorchamps and the conditions on track are virtually undrivable at any speed.

One car could go around with no problem on extreme wet tyres but the spray of 20 F1 cars is very dangerous, especially on this track as the trees keep it hanging in the air for longer.

The death of Formula Regional driver Dilano van 't Hoff at this track in similarly treacherous conditions should be all the evidence needed to delay as long as necessary.

Even the best drivers in the world, which these 20 are, can't see or race in conditions which don't allow you to see 10 metres ahead.