Conclusions | F1 rain race almost impossible, Russell must get the seat
Column
- GPblog.com
The weekend in Spa-Francorchamps seemed so promising after a great qualifying session in the rain but turned out to be too bad. Except for some laps behind the safety car, there was no racing during the Belgian Grand Prix. These are the conclusions after the race.
F1 cars can't race in the rain anymore
The main conclusion that can be drawn after this weekend is that the 'best cars in motorsport' with the best possible technology at their disposal, cannot race in the rain. Where in the past Formula 1 was known as the class where this was possible (in contrast to race series in America), nowadays races are cancelled when it rains too much.
After the Belgian GP, the management will have to look at how this can be improved in the future. This is not good for the show. With the 2022 cars, more may be needed as the cars will be less reliant on their downforce, and the simpler structure will also mean less spray coming off the car. Pirelli's tyres will also come into play though.
Perez still not faultless for Red Bull Racing
Sergio Perez signed a new contract with Red Bull Racing, but the performance at Spa-Francorchamps was again disappointing. Perez missed out on two points due to a stupid mistake on the lap to the grid. Two points that in hindsight could prove to be very costly for Red Bull Racing.
Russell must get the seat at Mercedes
If George Russell doesn't get the seat at Mercedes by now, he never will. While Valtteri Bottas, not for the first time, was nowhere to be seen when the first raindrops fell, it was Russell who stole the show. Only Verstappen was faster in qualifying, but P2 with a Williams is a unique achievement.
After scoring his first points for Williams in Hungary, a burden seems to have been lifted from Russell's shoulders. He has always been fast on Saturdays for Williams, but this was obviously a unique achievement. Mr Saturday' was finally rewarded with points on Sunday, without having raced a single meter.
Eau Rouge has become too dangerous
This weekend also showed once again that changes are needed at Eau Rouge and Radillon. Again there were multiple crashes in these corner combinations. The crash in the W Series was the most frightening, but Lando Norris ' crash could also have ended differently. Of course part of racing is on the edge, but when there are so many crashes in such a short period of time in one corner, you might have to conclude that the corner is no longer safe for the current generation of cars.