'If this was your first F1 race we APOLOGISE' - Belgian Grand Prix Hot Takes

Lewis Hamilton, FIA, Ferrari, Belgium, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Belgian Grand Prix

'If this was your first F1 race we APOLOGISE' - Belgian Grand Prix Hot Takes

The GPFans team were not happy about that Belgian GP delay

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 27 July 2025 18:51

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F1 fans were deprived of a thrilling wet race at the Belgian Grand Prix and were instead subjected to 44 laps of tyre management.

The Belgian GP was delayed for an hour due to wet weather and poor visibility on the track, with a return to racing only allowed when the track was practically dry.

When the session eventually resumed, the F1 grid undertook four laps behind the safety car and when they were finally allowed to race, it was instead a rolling start!

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After an overtake on Lando Norris on their first lap of racing, Oscar Piastri speeded off into the distance and managed to maintain a gap to his team-mate until the chequered flag.

Any hope of making gains in the title race escaped Norris, as he served the remainder of the race on the hard tyres and could not get within an inch of his team-mate.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen missed out on a F1 podium as his title chances continue to slip away, not before moaning about the decision to delay the race in the rain.

The GPFans team were not happy with the race director's decision either, and had a few choice words about the Belgian Grand Prix.

GPFans Belgian Grand Prix Hot Takes

Dan Ripley - Deputy Editor

F1 wet races used to be an exciting prospect, now they are a nightmare. It's time we stopped messing about with such a cautious approach and spending an hour talking about banal 'three-hour windows' for a race distance, while watching cringe Connect-4 games between teams.

Drivers of course are going to complain about visibility - these days they never race in the spray to experience it. F1 stars from the past have raced quite competently in heavier weather than what we saw in Spa - even this century. That's not just me saying it, even Max Verstappen wanted to just get on with it and race.

Granted there will always be a danger to racing in the wet and Spa's history perhaps warrants some caution, but Formula 1 can't just escaping for the red flag shaped umbrella everytime it starts raining. These wet race delays are a terrible look for the sport and it needs a serious rethink.

Ronan Murphy - Social Media Editor

Scroll through the top reviews on Letterboxd for the F1 Movie and you'll see some brilliant puns like Radio: “Box, Box, Box!” Brad Pitt: “WHAT’S IN THE BOX” and can’t wait for F2. Sandwiched in between those is a review by a user called anto: me watching an actual F1 race: ‘oh man, this shit is so boring’ me watching this movie: ‘this is absolute cinema’ This is exactly what happened with the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix.

Imagine having watched the F1 Movie during the three-week break and deciding to watch a Formula 1 race for the first time in your life. You're in position to watch a race that hardcore fans absolutely love and say perfectly represents the sport.

The thing is? Those fans are right. There is no better representation of real F1 in 2025 than the disasterclass that was the Belgian GP. Wet races in Spa have always been incredible, but we were denied that by the officials with even Max Verstappen calling it 'silly' not to race in the rain.

Then the race itself was a dismal affair which was a snoozefest once the track dried up. Who would have predicted that? Everyone.

If this was your first-ever F1 race, I apologise. But don’t expect it to get better. The F1 Movie isn't real. It's entertainment. F1 itself isn’t.

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

There's a name that has gone unforgotten, under-appreciated and unloved in F1.

They are there every race weekend, someone to rely on in the toughest of times and always have a moment spare to help you out.

Once again, at the Belgian GP they were neglected. Passed over, in favour of their shinier more familiar counterparts. Who knows what their true potential could be? What action have we been deprived of as F1 continues to enforce their absence?

Well...I say no more! I — on this very platform — will fight for justice, will say their name loud and proud, and holler across the Ardennes forest until others join my cause.

Wet weather tyres! You may be forgotten, but you are not gone. One day you will return to an F1 race. And. It. Will. Be. Glorious!

Chris Deeley - F1 Journalist

A lot gets made of Oscar Piastri being F1's new iceman – too much, if we're honest – but what if he just looks like that in relation to his team-mate?

Lando Norris had the race in his hands when he was gifted a rolling start at Spa, and immediately managed to fumble it. He was also gifted a speedy car on tyres much better than anyone expected, and couldn't get out of his own way while trying to chase down Piastri. A lock-up here, an excursion off track there.

Why will Oscar Piastri win the 2025 drivers' championship? McLaren have the best car, and their other driver spends more time rattled than a maraca. Simple as.

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Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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F1 Max Verstappen Mercedes Lando Norris Belgian Grand Prix