Red Bull Boss Blames FIA for Rain Delay That Hurt Belgian GP Setup

Newsweek

2 days ago

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New Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal Laurent Mekies has highlighted how Formula One's governing body, the FIA, delayed the Belgian Grand Prix race start to avoid a wet race. While he acknowledged that the delay was for safety reasons, the decision left Red Bull at a disadvantage, as its car was set up for a wet race.
The race weekend at Spa Francorchamps saw Max Verstappen win the dry sprint race on Saturday, but Sunday turned out to be the opposite as the four-time world champion spent a major part of the race behind Charles Leclerc, struggling to overtake the Ferrari SF-25. Eventually, he finished P4. Verstappen's teammate Yuki Tsunoda finished the race in P13.
Rain was forecast for Sunday's Grand Prix, and as a result, Red Bull set up the RB21 F1 car for a wet race. However, the formation lap in the wet highlighted the huge amount of spray being left behind by the cars, which significantly reduced visibility.
The race start was delayed for 80 minutes until the rain clouds had passed and the standing water dissipated The race then began under the safety car for four laps just as the sun came out. Mekies, for whom this was the first race as Red Bull team principal after Christian Horner's ousting, revealed that the extended delay caused his team to lose out on performance. He told the media after the race:
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing talk in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at...
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing talk in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 25, 2025 in Spa, Belgium. More"I think we were all surprised by how late we started the race.
"I'm sure the FIA had its considerations, but certainly for us as a team, it surprised us.
"Fundamentally, we waited not only for the rain to stop, but also for pretty much the sun to come out, and then we still had many laps behind the safety car.
"Again, I'm sure the FIA had its reasons, but in our specific case, having biased the car towards wet running, it cost us performance but it's part of the game."
He added:
"For us in terms of effectiveness, the fact that we got so little wet running didn't help. We had made quite heavy choices thinking about a wet race. In the end, the rain came, but we didn't get much wet racing. For sure, it had an influence on the race.
"In the dry, at the end of the day, Max spent every single lap in Charles' gearbox, and we didn't have much overtaking. And with our choices and downforce package, it was always unlikely we would pass in the dry. It is what it is.
"You start fourth, beaten by three thousandths of a second by Charles, and you finish fourth."