Lewis Hamilton Belgian GP refund call rejected by F1

Belgian Grand Prix

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Hamilton Belgian GP refund call rejected by F1

No racing laps took place in Spa washout

Ian Parkes & Sam Hall

Monday 30 August 2021 09:30

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has resisted a call from seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton for fans to be refunded in the wake of the Belgian Grand Prix washout.

Heavy rain fell constantly over the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, with fans remaining in the grandstands and on the hillsides for over four hours past the scheduled race start time.

Their reward for such patience was two laps behind the safety car in treacherous conditions, leading to McLaren CEO Zak Brown described it as 'not a race'.

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Following the non-event, Hamilton immediately suggested the fans should be reimbursed, but when asked if he shared this view, Domenicali answered: “No I don’t."

He explained: “You can pay the ticket and then [it is] what it is.

"At the end of the day the organiser, together with us, will consider the attention, the maximum attention to the fans, that’s for sure.”

The two completed laps were enough to allow an official race classification, with half points awarded to the top-10 finishers.

Pressed as to whether a complete lack of running would have made the case for any refund stronger, Domenicali said: “No, because it is a matter of attention, a matter of being ready to do something for the fans.

“As I said, two laps or zero laps it doesn’t make a difference in that respect.

“The race is there. Formally, it is a race. It is a matter of understanding what is the sign of attention the organiser would like to do with the fans.

"I think there will be ideas already that they are thinking considering what has happened this year.”