McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has praised the FIA for making what he called a “very wise” decision to delay the start of the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, countering criticism from several drivers, including Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
The race, originally scheduled to begin at 15:00 local time, was pushed back by over an hour due to persistent rain and poor visibility. The cars eventually took to the track behind the Safety Car at 16:20, allowing for a safer start and a gradual transition from wet to dry conditions.
While the delay frustrated several drivers – with Verstappen claiming that the decision meant that “there will never [be] any classic wet races” at Spa and Hamilton describing the call as an “overreaction” – Stella took a different view, applauding race control’s caution.
Stella: “Being on the forefoot is the right approach”
In a weekend that saw McLaren claim another remarkable 1-2 finish, Stella used his post-race media appearance to commend the FIA’s proactive handling of the weather.
“I think today the race was managed in a very wise way by the FIA,” he said. “Because we knew that there was a lot of rain coming, and I think in a circuit like this, if you make the calls late, it may be too late, and the outcome could be a difficult outcome.”
Stella emphasized the unique risks posed by Spa-Francorchamps, where high speeds and heavy spray can quickly make racing conditions dangerous without visibility.
“So I think being on the forefoot is the right approach, and delaying the race allowed us to race in wet conditions, and then we went into dry, but in fairness, we are in Spa, we didn’t even know how long the dry race would have been, and we knew that there could have been wet conditions again at the end.”
The Italian noted that although spectators and some drivers may be eager to see Formula 1 cars running flat-out in the rain, safety must remain the overriding concern.
“So I think from our position as a team, we always praise the work of the FIA when this is deserved,” he added.
“I think this is one of the cases in which this should be praised, because I understand that it would be quite entertaining to see cars going in wet conditions, but we all should be wary that the average speed in Spa is so high that the cars just displace such a large amount of water that it’s just impossible to see.”
“We have seen already in Silverstone that a car drove into the gearbox of another car, because it was impossible to see it, and it was lower and there was less water.”
“So we don’t want to see the same in Spa, so well done by the FIA.”
Stella’s endorsement of the FIA’s race management comes as the governing body continues to navigate the delicate balance between spectacle and safety in unpredictable weather – especially at venues like Spa, where tragic incidents in recent years have heightened scrutiny over wet-weather racing.
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