2025 Belgian Grand Prix - Spa-Francorchamps, July 25 - 27

[dialtone]

Why wasn't Leclerc investigated for an unsafe release at the first pit stops?

Because it wasn’t unsafe?

[avantman]

Why wasn't Leclerc investigated for an unsafe release at the first pit stops?

Leclerc got away with much worse previously in his career...Germany '19 comes to mind right away.

[CjC]

Come on….

More than likely back in the 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s all the drivers on the front row of any wet race didn’t want the race to start but the guys a bit further into the pack wanted to go racing because of the risk/ reward balance.

Niki lauda who was fighting for a WDC even parked it mid race when it was raining and said ‘fcuk that!’ (Is he a puff?)

The issue now is that we hear all the drivers radios, we can read the stewards decisions etc and there are pages and pages of warriors spouting on a forum working each other up into a frenzy.

If we don’t learn lessons from the past problems that have occurred then we might as well not bother at all.

To whom who were backing Max during the delay about not starting in the wet when it turned out that we had a near enough dry race. How would you feel if they did start the race on time, in the rain and your God Max Verstappen has a spin (like in Silverstone) gets T-boned by another driver from the midfield, race control then throw a red flag so they can air lift Max to hospital in a coma who is hanging on to life itself. No doubt you’ll be the first to bash your keyboards in anger on here saying it was too wet to race and heads need to roll in race control and the FIA.

It's a risky sport. It's meant to be hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it. What exactly makes them heroes if we have to wait for a dry track to go racing?

Not once have I ever seen a driver place their life on the line to save another drivers life in the past 26 years. At the end of the day its only a job to them- they aren’t sacrificial lambs for our entertainment

[CjC]

Come on….

More than likely back in the 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s all the drivers on the front row of any wet race didn’t want the race to start but the guys a bit further into the pack wanted to go racing because of the risk/ reward balance.

Niki lauda who was fighting for a WDC even parked it mid race when it was raining and said ‘fcuk that!’ (Is he a puff?)

The issue now is that we hear all the drivers radios, we can read the stewards decisions etc and there are pages and pages of warriors spouting on a forum working each other up into a frenzy.

If we don’t learn lessons from the past problems that have occurred then we might as well not bother at all.

To whom who were backing Max during the delay about not starting in the wet when it turned out that we had a near enough dry race. How would you feel if they did start the race on time, in the rain and your God Max Verstappen has a spin (like in Silverstone) gets T-boned by another driver from the midfield, race control then throw a red flag so they can air lift Max to hospital in a coma who is hanging on to life itself. No doubt you’ll be the first to bash your keyboards in anger on here saying it was too wet to race and heads need to roll in race control and the FIA.

Yes, let them just do sim racing, why even bother with real cars. Please stop with the fear mongering.

Sim racing is boring.
I can’t see what is wrong with waiting for better conditions that can be seen on the weather radar.

Yes if there aren’t any better conditions in the horizon then they should just get on with it

[basti313]

Why wasn't Leclerc investigated for an unsafe release at the first pit stops?

The car behind did not have to brake.

I love how Charles battled with Max!

Their talents and skills are so close (yet their achievements arent) and Max looks so different when battling him…like he’s taking extra care of where he’ll place the car! ...

Whaaaat? He was just so much faster on the straight, that he put a gap on Max in the slipstream on Kemmel...and this is the Spa problem. Once there is a car with lower wing in front, it is nearly game over.

[bluechris]

Why wasn't Leclerc investigated for an unsafe release at the first pit stops?

Leclerc got away with much worse previously in his career...Germany '19 comes to mind right away.

It was Leclerc fault today? Even though the car behind didn't need to lift at all so i don't see the problem.

[Seanspeed]

Come on….

More than likely back in the 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s all the drivers on the front row of any wet race didn’t want the race to start but the guys a bit further into the pack wanted to go racing because of the risk/ reward balance.

Niki lauda who was fighting for a WDC even parked it mid race when it was raining and said ‘fcuk that!’ (Is he a puff?)

The issue now is that we hear all the drivers radios, we can read the stewards decisions etc and there are pages and pages of warriors spouting on a forum working each other up into a frenzy.

If we don’t learn lessons from the past problems that have occurred then we might as well not bother at all.

To whom who were backing Max during the delay about not starting in the wet when it turned out that we had a near enough dry race. How would you feel if they did start the race on time, in the rain and your God Max Verstappen has a spin (like in Silverstone) gets T-boned by another driver from the midfield, race control then throw a red flag so they can air lift Max to hospital in a coma who is hanging on to life itself. No doubt you’ll be the first to bash your keyboards in anger on here saying it was too wet to race and heads need to roll in race control and the FIA.

Tracks and cars are way, way safer today than they were in Lauda's days.

We spent many, many years letting drivers race in the rain safely. There are ways to safeguard the worst of the problems without completely sanitizing things to where racing in the rain is basically literally not allowed. It's become a joke nowadays. Nothing but a proper drying track is allowed to be raceable at all now.

[CjC]

Off the top of my head.
Australia ‘25, Brazil ‘24, Japan ‘22.
They do race in the rain if they need to. However they will always favour a drier conditions if they can see them on the horizon.

[Seanspeed]

Off the top of my head.
Australia ‘25, Brazil ‘24, Japan ‘22.
They do race in the rain if they need to. However they will always favour a drier conditions if they can see them on the horizon.

These are becoming rarer and rarer. They're exceptions to the rule, and also prove again the sheer infuriating inconsistency of those running and judging F1 races.

We used to have at least several proper wet races every year. You are only able to name 3 in the last four seasons, despite having like 22+ race calendars nowadays.

[CjC]

Off the top of my head.
Australia ‘25, Brazil ‘24, Japan ‘22.
They do race in the rain if they need to. However they will always favour a drier conditions if they can see them on the horizon.

These are becoming rarer and rarer. They're exceptions to the rule, and also prove again the sheer infuriating inconsistency of those running and judging F1 races.

We used to have at least several proper wet races every year. You are only able to name 3 in the last four seasons, despite having like 22+ race calendars nowadays.

How many times have we experienced wet conditions for the start of or during the race though? And how many times have we endured sanitised race direction in the last 4 seasons?

Theres the 3 I’ve already mentioned.
Monaco ‘22 & ‘23 Belgium ‘25.

It’s rare to actually experience wet conditions and it’s even rarer for race control to sanitise the conditions.
Of the 6 wet races I’ve mentioned- race control have sanitised 2 of them? Is 33% too much?

[Seanspeed]

Off the top of my head.
Australia ‘25, Brazil ‘24, Japan ‘22.
They do race in the rain if they need to. However they will always favour a drier conditions if they can see them on the horizon.

These are becoming rarer and rarer. They're exceptions to the rule, and also prove again the sheer infuriating inconsistency of those running and judging F1 races.

We used to have at least several proper wet races every year. You are only able to name 3 in the last four seasons, despite having like 22+ race calendars nowadays.

How many times have we experienced wet conditions for the start of or during the race though? And how many times have we endured sanitised race direction in the last 4 seasons?

Theres the 3 I’ve already mentioned.
Monaco ‘22 & ‘23 Belgium ‘25.

It’s rare to actually experience wet conditions and it’s even rarer for race control to sanitise the conditions.
Of the 6 wet races I’ve mentioned- race control have sanitised 2 of them? Is 33% too much?

We've literally had two examples in just the span of the past two race weekends. I dont know why you're pretending this isn't a thing.

[stephen]

Lawson is putting together a strong run with four points finishes in a row. Yuki got unlucky today, he deserved to score some points today.

[CjC]

These are becoming rarer and rarer. They're exceptions to the rule, and also prove again the sheer infuriating inconsistency of those running and judging F1 races.

We used to have at least several proper wet races every year. You are only able to name 3 in the last four seasons, despite having like 22+ race calendars nowadays.

How many times have we experienced wet conditions for the start of or during the race though? And how many times have we endured sanitised race direction in the last 4 seasons?

Theres the 3 I’ve already mentioned.
Monaco ‘22 & ‘23 Belgium ‘25.

It’s rare to actually experience wet conditions and it’s even rarer for race control to sanitise the conditions.
Of the 6 wet races I’ve mentioned- race control have sanitised 2 of them? Is 33% too much?

We've literally had two examples in just the span of the past two race weekends. I dont know why you're pretending this isn't a thing.

I’m not pretending about anything I thought it was a discussion and being objective with facts?

Can’t believe I forgot about Silverstone ‘25- I was there

There was also Canada and Silverstone ‘24

Is a mid race safety car for the rain classed as being sanitised by race control? If we are being literal then yes it is.

Brazil ‘24 was red flagged wasn’t it?

So yea most of the wet races in the past 4 seasons have been sanitised by race control.

Whether that’s a good or bad thing is down to your own opinion and that will be decided by your own agendas I guess.

[Seanspeed]

So yea most of the wet races in the past 4 seasons have been sanitised by race control.

Whether that’s a good or bad thing is down to your own opinion and that will be decided by your own agendas I guess.

At least acknowledging that it's a thing is a step forward for the discussion. You seemed to be denying it was a thing at first.

I can understand some extra level of caution in certain situations, but I think we've very much stepped way too much into overcautious territory where proper wet running is almost not allowed anymore as a rule. I feel like that's a very big loss to the sport and to the spectacle of seeing these drivers being able to showcase their talents in such tough conditions. It also makes it a joke that full wet tires even exist when you'd be a fool to use them since race direction will almost certainly punish you for doing so, even if it's the right choice at the time.