F1 working through ‘various options’ for Belgian GP ticket holders
Heavy rain and poor visibility caused Sunday’s round at Spa-Francorchamps to be abandoned after just three laps behind the safety car. Despite no actual racing being completed, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was declared the winner and half points were awarded to the top 10 finishers.
After the race, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton accused F1 of running the Belgian GP simply to achieve an official result and satisfy contractual obligations, adding that he felt fans who braved the atrocious conditions all day in the hope of seeing a race deserved a refund.
"Money talks and the two laps to start the race is all a money scenario," Hamilton told Sky Sports after the race.
"So everyone gets their money and I think the fans should get theirs back too. Because unfortunately they didn't get to see what they paid for.
"Obviously we can't control the weather, and I love racing in the rain, but today was something else. You really couldn't see the car ahead, there was aquaplaning, it was unfortunately just a disaster on track.
"But the fans stayed out in the rain. They still had energy, they still created the atmosphere but they were robbed of a race today. I think they deserve their money back.”
In a message posted on Instagram later on Sunday evening, Hamilton described the event as a “farce” and reiterated his call for fans to be refunded.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali suggested on Sunday that the sport would discuss the situation with the race promoter.
And on Wednesday, F1 issued a statement saying it is working on a way to “express our recognition and thanks” to the spectators in attendance in Belgium.
“Following the impact of the weather on the Belgium Grand Prix on Sunday 29th August, Formula 1 and the promoter are working through various options for ticket holders, to express our recognition and thanks to them for their dedication and commitment,” the statement read.
“We will provide further details as soon as possible as we want to thank the fans for their continued support and passion for F1.”
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