Max Verstappen blasts the FIA's call to delay the start of the F1 Belgian GP

The FIA decided to delay the start of the Belgian Grand Prix due to safety concerns owing to a lack of visibility for the drivers, but Max Verstappen bashed the regulatory body for this decision. He seemingly proposed a better alternative over the radio to get the race going as early as possible.

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is known for its affinity with wet weather more often than not. The circuit witnessed the last washout in F1 as the 2021 edition was completed behind the safety car.

While drivers and fans were eager to get the race going, as the weather is not as torrentially bad as the 2021 race, recent advocacy for driver safety led the FIA to remain cautious. This led to the formation lap taking place behind the safety car, and the governing body assessed the situation out on track.

Subsequently, the starting procedure was suspended and the drivers were brought into the pit lane to wait for the weather to calm down and the track to dry off. However, the circuit was in a pocket of seemingly clear weather at the moment, and heavy rain was slated to hit the 7.004-kilometer track.

This would cause the race to be delayed for a lot more than intended, due to which Max Verstappen lamented the decision of the FIA, as he pointed out how staying out on the track would have cleared the track of standing water and reduced the chance of aquaplaning, as he said over the radio:

"We'll that's a bit silly, I mean, you should just run a few laps, Jesus. They're way too cautious, now the heavy rain is coming, and then it's gonna be a 3 hour delay."

Meanwhile, Verstappen will start fourth for the Belgian GP.

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Max Verstappen is wary about Red Bull's pace in the wet against McLaren

Max Verstappen at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Belgium - Source: Getty

Max Verstappen won the sprint race around the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and was deemed to be one of the favorites to secure a front row start for the Grand Prix on Sunday. But the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had the edge over him, with Charles Leclerc further rubbing salt on his wounds, displacing the Dutchman down to P4.

Moreover, with no driver ever having won the Belgian GP starting from his grid slot, the Red Bull driver has a lot to contend with in the race. Opening up on how even securing a podium would be tough, he said in the post-qualifying interview (via Formula 1):

"I think that will be tough. First, if it’s wet, you can’t see anything, so you can’t really do anything on lap one. I hope that we can fight back to a podium, but normally in the wet conditions, McLaren is also really fast. They have that really under control now with how the engine is operating."

"So I’m not making any kind of illusion, we just need to be realistic, and we just need to work on our balance first of all."

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has Yuki Tsunoda's company at the front end after a long while, as the Japanese driver will be starting seventh.