Only a few laps of the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix were run at rainy Spa-Francorchamp – all of them behind the safety car – and according to FiA rules, that was enough to gift Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as the winner of the “race” with Williams George Russell and Mercedes’ seven-time defending Formula One world champion, Lewis Hamilton also receiving gifts of second and third place, respectively.
The race start was originally delayed for 25 minutes, then the drivers were sent out for a formation lap and another lap behind the safety car but race officials determined it was too wet and brought them into the pits where they sat for the next two hours before finally being sent out for another few laps behind the safety car and, ultimately, given the decision by race officials to suspend the race.
That decision meant everybody was awarded half-points for their qualifying positions, so Verstappen picked up 12.5 points for the “win” while Hamilton received 7.5 points for his third place finish. With those points, Hamilton now leads Verstappen by three points in the overall 2021 F1 drivers championship.
