Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz at odds with the race director's call to delay the F1 Belgian GP

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz have taken a completely divergent stand when it comes to judging the race director's call to delay the F1 Belgian GP. Before the race began, there was a spell of rain that drenched the track and made the visibility a serious concern.

On the formation lap, even though the rain had stopped, visibility was a serious concern, as the group leader, Lando Norris, even felt that the conditions were not fit for racing. The race director seemingly agreed with the opinion, as the race start was delayed. After another shower passed by, there were multiple laps done behind the safety car, that meant that the track was very close to being dry when the racing began.

This did, however, end up going against the drivers who had opted for the strategy of going with a higher downforce setup to be quicker in the wet weather. Max Verstappen, in fact, was one of the bigger advocates of starting the race at its original time.

Talking to the media, including Motorsport, the Red Bull driver revealed that the race director had told the drivers that he would be more cautious at Spa compared to Silverstone because of the danger factor. Max Verstappen, however, felt that the wait meant that the track was almost dry by the time the call was made, which was a bit too conservative. He said.

"We made a choice with the set-up and they only allowed us to drive in almost slick conditions, so it was a bit disappointing. Of course, we spoke after Silverstone to be a little bit more cautious with the decisions, but this was at the other extreme for me."

The high downforce setup meant that the driver was stuck behind Charles Leclerc for the most of the race, as he said,

"It was a choice that we made with the set-up of the car, which was then the wrong one of course, because they didn't allow us to race in the wet. Once we got to the dry tyres, we were just too slow on the straight. And then with the general balance problems that I already have with this car, it made everything just a bit worse."

Carlos Sainz at odds with Max Verstappen's claim

Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, was completely at odds with Max Verstappen's claim. Even though the Spaniard was one of the drivers who got disadvantaged, as he had opted for a higher downforce setup, he applauded the race director for the call he made.

Pointing out how Spa is a dangerous track and drivers have lost their lives, Sainz backed the caution from the race director as he said,

"In a normal track, yes, I think we could have started maybe 5-10 minutes earlier. In Spa-Francorchamps and the history of this track, it's better safe than [sorry]. You guys got the whole race, you got to watch the full race, so I don't think it was a bad call, a safe call, but my respect to the race director because he told us after Silverstone and the accidents in Silverstone that he would play it safer here and that's what he did."

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz ultimately suffered from the race director's calls, as neither of them could make significant progress and capitalize on the strategies they had chosen.

Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli