Amid rain, prolonged Safety Car periods, and aborted starts, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have openly questioned the decisions made by the FIA race control during the 2025 Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. Their comments raise the question: was there too much caution from the stewards at Spa-Francorchamps?
Max Verstappen, the three-time world champion, and Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, expressed doubts about the management of the race weekend in Belgium, where persistent rain and extended delays led to widespread frustration—not only among fans but also within the paddock itself.
The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, a track well-known for its unpredictable and rapidly changing weather conditions, was once again affected by rain. However, this time the controversy was not just about the weather itself, but about how the FIA responded to it. Despite heavy rain at the start, several drivers—including Verstappen and Hamilton—believed that the conditions had improved enough to allow for a much earlier start than the one that eventually took place.
The widespread impression across the paddock and fanbase was that, in prioritizing safety, Formula 1 had once again compromised the entertainment value of the event. And this criticism did not just come from the audience, but from two of the most influential and respected drivers currently competing on the Formula 1 grid.
“We could have started earlier”: the champions express their disappointment
The 2025 Belgian Grand Prix quickly turned into yet another controversial race weekend. This time, the dispute wasn’t focused on whether it should have rained or not, but rather on how the rain was handled by officials. After more than one hour and twenty minutes of circulating behind the Safety Car, both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton voiced clear frustration toward the FIA, accusing race control of being far too conservative in their approach.
Max Verstappen remarked, “In the end, we only did a few laps in wet conditions, which overall feels like a real shame. I believe we could have started much earlier—it definitely wasn’t ideal.”
The Dutch driver had initially opted for a low-downforce configuration on his Red Bull Racing RB21 for the earlier sessions of the weekend, aiming for maximum speed on the long straights. However, anticipating a wet race, his team later switched to a more conventional rear wing setup that provided higher aerodynamic downforce. Verstappen explained that this adjustment made it more difficult to launch a proper attack on Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari during the race, saying it was “partly because of the rear wing choice.”
Lewis Hamilton, who finished the race in seventh place, echoed similar frustrations. The Ferrari driver criticized the rolling start procedure used by the FIA, implying that the visibility and track conditions had improved enough for a traditional standing start from the grid.
“The track was drying up, and visibility wasn’t that bad at all. A standing start would have been possible,” said Lewis Hamilton, who remains one of the most experienced and vocal drivers on the grid. The British driver’s remarks added weight to the broader sentiment that race control may have erred too heavily on the side of caution, taking away from the essence and competitive nature of a Grand Prix weekend.
The comments from both Verstappen and Hamilton are likely to reignite discussions about how Formula 1 balances safety with spectacle—especially at a circuit as iconic and challenging as Spa-Francorchamps, where weather interruptions are a regular feature. For now, the debate continues, as fans and drivers alike await a more refined approach to race-day decision-making in unpredictable conditions.
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