What F1 must do for Belgian GP fans after Spa farce

The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix broke statistical records as Formula 1's shortest ever 'race'. But while F1 deserves credit for its safety-first approach, it has been heavily criticised for going ahead with declaring a result and leaving fans short-changed. To restore credibility, it must learn from what happened and take decisive action

Alex Kalinauckas Aug 30, 2021, 8:41 AM

Upd: Aug 30, 2021, 8:46 AM

The 29th of August 2021 was a bad day for Formula 1.

On the day the Belgian Grand Prix officially took place, the championship faced appalling conditions at a Spa track still tinged by recent tragedy. There were seemingly endless delays and dithering, underpinned by poor communication. Teams and officials at times appeared not to have a full grasp on the rules. The day ended with questions over whether the applications of the final decisions were even correct.

And, perhaps most perniciously, there were suspicions that what eventually transpired had more to do with money than what was right – admittedly in an awful situation for those making the big calls.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.