Vettel slates "bitter" Belgian GP half points "a joke"
Vettel slates "bitter" Belgian GP half points "a joke"
Sebastian Vettel has slated the awarding of half points following the bitter events that unfolded in the Belgian Grand Prix as "a joke".
Thousands of F1 fans at a rain-lashed Spa-Francorchamps circuit saw just two laps of running behind the safety car before the 'race' was called off almost four hours after the scheduled start time.
Those two laps allowed F1 to award half points to the top-10 finishers, including five to Aston Martin driver Vettel who was classified fifth.
But the four-time F1 champion derided such a decision. “It’s a bit of a joke, no? That’s a joke,” said Vettel.
“If you want to get a reward for qualifying, you should get points for qualifying. What did we do [to earn points]? I don’t know.
"There was no race so we should not have any points. What's the effort we did? We followed the safety car and in the end, they said it's not fine to race.
"For us, we get some points but it feels really odd to have done so many races and this by far is the one that doesn't feel like a race."
Vettel could at least understand why the FIA chose not to send the drivers racing in such treacherous conditions as the torrential rain refused to relent all day.
"It's a real shame," added Vettel. "There were thousands of people who came, they probably walked miles to get to the track, already parking their car in the mud, hanging on the whole day in the wet and the cold and we didn't go racing.
"I think we would have all loved to race. Probably it's the right decision [not to race] as it's not safe.
"We have driven in worse but the difficulty is to get going and that's the problem. With the spray, you don't see anything.
"I was in P5 and you couldn't see anything down the straights. It just gets worse. If you're first or second or third it's fine because you can stagger.
"Where we were it was just bad, and that's why it wasn't safe. You're close to aquaplaning as well and there are some high-speed corners.
"It's just bitter for people at the track and at home."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
McLaren star DROPPED following serious injury
- 2 minutes ago
F1 legend confident about Newey to Ferrari
- 1 hour ago
F1 rivals' UPGRADES provide Red Bull title charge doubt
- 2 hours ago
Max Verstappen's preferred Red Bull team-mate REVEALED by F1 pundit
- 3 hours ago
F1 News Today: McLaren boss keen for stunning REUNION as Horner BLAMED for Newey nightmare
- 3 hours ago
F1 Miami Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today
- Today 14:57
Related news
Legendary F1 circuit could be ditched due to spiralling costs
F1 confirms renewal of KEY race contract until 2025
Brundle names the ONE F1 driver operating well above expectations
F1 legend slams UNFAIR FIA proposal after 'deceiving fans'
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860