With heavy rain falling continuously, the start of the race was incrementally delayed. After two formation laps behind the Safety Car on Wets, the red flag was brought out and start procedure suspended.
The three-hour window for the race was temporarily stopped at 17:00pm local time, before a further delay of over an hour.
The race officially resumed at 18:17pm, with cars exiting the pit lane and the clock starting to tick down with one hour remaining.
The cars completed two racing laps behind the Safety Car, signalling the start of the race, before it was red flagged and suspended again. This was enough for half points and a race classification to be awarded. At 18:44pm, the race was called off, with Lewis classified P3 and Valtteri P12.
Today's result marks the 10th podium for Lewis and 15th for the Mercedes F1 Team at the Belgian Grand Prix. Lewis (202.5 points) leads the Drivers' Championship by three points from Max Verstappen (199.5 points) with Valtteri (108 points) in P4. Mercedes (310.5 points) lead Red Bull (303 points) by 7.5 points in the Constructors' Championship.
Toto Wolff: I really want to take my hat off to all the fans who were here with us over the weekend, in the wet and the cold. And particularly during this afternoon, spending hours waiting for the race to start. It's great to see their enthusiasm and passion, it's just what the sport needs. We are all racers and we want to race, but today it just wasn't possible. It would have been too dangerous to let the drivers race because of a total lack of visibility. In terms of the race result, of course we are not happy that points have been awarded for what was a few laps behind the Safety Car but if the regulations allow that, you have to take it on the chin and move on. Now, we are looking forward to Zandvoort, to hopefully score some big points and continue this fight for the Championship.
Andrew Shovlin: Obviously, we're all feeling frustrated to come here and not get to race, and I'm sure the fans feel that frustration even more. It's also not a good feeling, losing ground in both Championships. But ultimately, the conditions were not safe to race in. There was a lot of standing water and visibility was very poor. The decisions in Race Control are difficult ones on days like today, but there was no break in the rain, so it was correct not to continue with the race. We'll quickly switch our focus to Zandvoort and hopefully the weather will be better there!
Christian Horner: "It's frustrating for the teams, drivers and especially the fans that we could not race today, but unfortunately the conditions meant that no matter how long we waited it was not safe to do so. Everybody did their best to try and put a race on and credit must go to the FIA and Liberty who did everything within their power and waited until it became impossible. Ultimately, Max's great work in very difficult qualifying conditions yesterday earned him the win and the maximum half points on offer which importantly enabled us to close the gap in both championships. Following Checo's unfortunate trip into the barrier on the initial out lap it was incredible to see our mechanics in action under pressure once again, fixing his car in the time they did, giving him every opportunity to race should we have been able to get out from behind the Safety Car. It was a massive job as both sides of the suspension and the steering rack were damaged but it was very rewarding to see the teamwork with both sides of the garage working together to get it fixed. We are all feeling a little cold and wet but huge credit has to go to the fans who continued to pack the grandstands today. We truly appreciate the loyalty and I'm just sorry that we couldn't deliver the track action they came for, but hopefully everyone will tune in for next weekend's Dutch Grand Prix so we can provide a great weekend of racing."
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: "What a very strange day! Firstly, the spectators have our commiserations. They endured many fruitless hours in the grandstands out around the track, and stuck it out to the bitter end, cheering on the teams and drivers. We're very sorry F1 could not put on a real race today but the right decision was made. It was simply not possible to start safely.
"Daniel and his team got their reward for a lot of hard work that went into a very good qualifying effort yesterday. P4 is his best result for McLaren so far. Special thanks also to Lando's crew who did a brilliant job to repair his car after that big impact yesterday.
"We leave Spa-Francorchamps back up to P3 in the Constructors' Championship. In that sense, this has been a positive weekend. We're looking forward to the Dutch Grand Prix now and hopefully better conditions in which we can give F1's fans a great race weekend on the new Zandvoort circuit."
Otmar Szafnauer, CEO & Team Principal: "First of all, on behalf of everyone at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team, I want to say how sorry I am for the fans, who braved the weather in the hope of watching an exciting 44-lap race on the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit but ended up enduring a damp squib - literally. However, the safety of the drivers, marshals, photographers and camera operators is of course paramount, and the FIA had no choice other than to make the difficult decision they did. We scored five world championship points as a result of Sebastian's fifth place, which would usually have netted us 10 world championship points had the race not been shortened and the half-points rule therefore applied. Lance had no opportunity to fight his way through the field - which, had the race been run normally, I am sure he would have been able to do with his usual wet-race panache. All in all, the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix will be remembered as a very disappointing event - or non-event - but we are now looking forward to the Dutch Grand Prix next weekend. Bring it on!"
Alpine F1 Team scored three points at today's rain interrupted Belgian Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon taking seventh place after only three laps were completed under Safety Car conditions. Fernando finished in eleventh and just outside the points scoring positions.
After yesterday's wet qualifying session, Esteban was due to start the race in eighth and Fernando in twelfth, but, both drivers inherited a position after Sergio Perez's crash on the lap to the grid.
With persistent rain falling in Spa, the first formation laps under the Safety Car began at 15:25 local time after an initial delay to proceedings. Conditions were deemed unsafe with the race red-flagged. With a break in the weather, the race restarted at 18:17, again under the Safety Car, before the second and final red flag brought the Grand Prix to a close with half points awarded as a result of three laps being completed.
Marcin Budkowski, Executive Director: "It was a shame we weren't able to race today, especially at such a great circuit. The FIA and Formula 1 tried everything to get the race underway, but the rain just wouldn't stop. Safety has to take precedent in these situations and our drivers confirmed over the radio during the laps under the Safety Car that it wasn't safe to race, especially because of the lack of visibility. The correct decision was made to abort the race. Credit to the fans who remained at the circuit in the grandstands all afternoon and thanks for their fantastic support all weekend. We move onto Zandvoort hungry to resume racing and we look forward to trying out an exciting new track."
The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix only lasted three laps. The rain which had already made its presence felt yesterday, wiped out the effective running of the race. After a 25 minute delay on the original start time, the cars did a couple of laps behind the Safety Car. Then the start procedure was red flagged because of the track conditions and very bad visibility, which meant all the cars returned to pit lane. At 18.17, after a long wait, the Race Director decided to resume the start procedure, again behind the Safety Car but after just three laps, the conditions were again deemed too dangerous to race, the cars again re-entered the pit lane and the Grand Prix was finally declared as stopped.
As the race ran for more than two laps but less than 75% of the official race distance, the top ten finishers are awarded half points. As Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz started from eighth and tenth on the grid respectively, Scuderia Ferrari leaves Belgium with two and a half points.
During the long wait, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz came out of the garage to wave to the spectators who remained trackside despite the incessant rain. The three laps of this bizarre race are in a way a tribute to the passion of the fans. It's a shame for the spectators at the track and others watching from elsewhere, that it was impossible to put on a show at one of the most wonderful race tracks on the calendar, but the safety of the drivers and everyone else involved must always be the number one priority.
Those fans have only a few days to wait until the Formula 1 cars are back on track, as the Dutch Grand Prix takes place next Sunday at the Zandvoort circuit. It marks the return of this race to the calendar for the first time in 36 years.
Mattia Binotto: First of all, I'd like to thank all the spectators who stayed to the very end at the track, hoping to see what should have been an uncertain and spectacular race. The Race Director did everything he could to try and get the Grand Prix underway, but conditions were never good enough to do so without jeopardising the safety of the drivers and those working trackside. The final result was thus determined from the starting grid positions, which means we come away with two points finishes.
Up until yesterday, our weekend had not gone particularly well, but it's a shame that we never got to see how things might have gone in a race where anything could have happened. Now we must concentrate on the next race in Zandvoort, a historic circuit which makes its return to the championship calendar after a very long absence.
Franz Tost (Team Principal): "First of all, I'm very sorry for all the fans that have come here to see an exciting race and then, because of the bad circumstances, we weren't able to offer them anything. I really hope that they understand that today it was simply not possible to race with a Formula 1 car.
"The team were quite well prepared ahead of the race, and I was convinced that in the dry we could have shown a very strong performance with both cars, as the set-up on the aero side was optimised for this. Pierre was starting in sixth position and has looked strong all weekend. Yuki was in 16th position and I think he would've had the opportunity to finish in the points. Heavy rain prevented the start of the race and I must say that the stewards and race control made the correct decision, as it would have been far too risky to start this race properly. After the second car, no one could see anything, so if for example a car had spun at one of the fast corners then it would've resulted in a heavy crash. Safety is the priority, so Michael Masi and the stewards made the right decision today."
Uralkali Haas F1 Team drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin classified 16th and 17th, respectively, at the Belgian Grand Prix - Round 12 of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday.
Persistent heavy rain fell throughout the course of the day in Belgium causing the formation lap to be delayed by 25 minutes. Race Control permitted two formation laps but swiftly deemed that it was not safe to race. A delay of almost three hours followed before a reduced distance 39-lap race began behind the Safety Car, with both Mazepin and Schumacher equipped with Pirelli Cinturato Blue wet tires.
However, after just three laps behind the Safety Car, Race Control brought a halt to proceedings, and the race did not restart, with the rain continuing to batter a foggy Spa-Francorchamps. As two laps were completed it was sufficient for a race classification to be issued, with Schumacher 16th and Mazepin 17th. Mazepin notionally ended with the race's fastest lap.
Up front Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) was declared the victor, his sixth win of the season, ahead of George Russell (Williams) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).
Guenther Steiner: "A long afternoon for everybody but the weather just didn't work out and it's a tough decision to make, not to race. Thanks to all the fans - they are the real heroes of this race - to hang in there and wait for us to get out but the weather didn't come our way. Thankfully we have a race next weekend, so we've not got long to wait."
George Russell finished second and Nicholas Latifi ninth in a rain-affected Belgium Grand Prix. Owing to the inclement weather conditions, running was restricted to only a handful of laps behind the Safety Car. An official race classification was called following the second red flag of the race and a three-hour delay, with half points awarded.
Despite coming in unusual circumstances, it marks the team's first podium since the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and first runner-up finish since the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: Unfortunately, the conditions were just too bad today and we couldn't complete any racing. It is a real shame for everyone involved and all those that came to watch. Of course, for us it means that we secure a great race result off the back of an excellent day yesterday and a lot of hard work over the last couple of years.
We now travel to Holland to take on the challenge of Zandvoort. It is effectively a new track for us and will represent a whole new challenge, which we are looking forward to tackling with renewed confidence.
The Belgian Grand Prix was run over just three laps due to bad weather - making it the shortest race in Formula 1 history - with half-points awarded. Red Bull's Max Verstappen was declared the winner, ahead of Williams driver George Russell and Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
The race was delayed for more than three hours following the initial start procedure, with all the drivers on the Cinturato Blue wet tyre for the re-start from the pitlane. After the cars followed the safety car for a three laps, in heavy rain with ambient temperatures of 14 degrees and track temperatures of 15 degrees, the red flag was shown, with the race subsequently ended.
The wet weather tyres were used for the bulk of the weekend, with the free practice and qualifying sessions also wet. Throughout Friday and Saturday, the Cinturato Green intermediate showed strong performance with solid resistance to aquaplaning.
Mario Isola: "With the rain not improving, it unfortunately wasn't possible to have a green flag race. The main problem was the lack of visibility. With the full wet tyres evacuating around 85 litres of water per second at 300kph, all that water has to go somewhere. The result is the spray that everyone watching could see behind the safety car, making it impossible for the drivers to see - which is obviously a dangerous situation. On a track with plenty of elevation like this one, there is also a risk of pools of water forming in certain places, which adds to the risk of aquaplaning. We'll be back racing in less than a week's time at the Dutch Grand Prix, hopefully with better weather."
