Lewis Hamilton has criticised the aborted Belgian Grand Prix as “a farce” and accused Formula 1 of cynicism in the way it ran the rain-hit race.
Hamilton said drivers were sent out for two laps behind the safety car solely to secure an official result.
Writing on Instagram, he said: “We should have called it quits, not risked drivers and most importantly refunded fans who are the heart of our sport.”
He added: “There was no moment today when we would have been able to race.”
F1 rules dictate the field must complete two racing laps for points to be awarded.
Hamilton said on Sky: “Money talks. It was literally the two laps to start the race. The sport made a bad choice today.”
Hamilton agreed conditions made it impossible to hold the race because of poor visibility on the high-speed track, but he said there was no reason to send the cars out again because conditions had not improved.
The race was delayed by half an hour from its scheduled start time and the drivers then completed two laps at before being called back to the pits. There was a delay of nearly three hours before two more laps were run behind the safety car, after which the race was called off.
Governing body the FIA rejected Hamilton’s claims, saying the plan was to do everything possible to try to run a race, with no other considerations.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was declared winner of the race ahead of Williams driver George Russell and Hamilton. Verstappen cut Hamilton’s championship lead to three points and Russell scored his first podium finish as a result of his remarkable performance in finishing second in qualifying on Saturday. (BBC)
