F1 Belgian GP Faces Cancellation after F3 Race Called off Due to Heavy Rain
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps is under threat of cancellation after heavy rain lashed the circuit. The Formula Three feature race has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.
Weather.com reports a 35 to 45 percent chance of rain during the F1 race at 3 PM local time, but it remains to be seen if the severity increases as the day progresses, given how badly the F3 race was affected.
Several F3 cars spun out during the formation lap behind the safety car. There was also the lack of visibility due to the spray the cars leave behind, which adds to the danger. The race resumed eventually, only to be red-flagged again after Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak lost control and beached his car on a kerb.
The race did not restart, and a winner wasn't declared. A report suggests that rain is expected to remain intense throughout the day, which could affect the Grand Prix.
Teams shelter from the rain on the grid during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 29, 2023 in Spa, Belgium.
Teams shelter from the rain on the grid during the Sprint ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 29, 2023 in Spa, Belgium.The previous round at Silverstone saw a spell of rain to the point that reduced visibility to dangerous levels. However, the rain didn't last long, and the track dried up sooner than expected.
If the rain does ease off in the afternoon at Spa, fans could witness an exciting Grand Prix on a wet track, similar to the action witnessed during the British GP. Both McLaren drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, are expected to be the key contenders. Having secured pole position, Norris will start on the front row with his teammate. Speaking on his flawless qualifying run on Saturday, Norris said:
"It was a decent lap, so happy. Everyone was pretty worried after yesterday. I wasn't even that far off, it was just a couple of little issues that we had. So I was confident after yesterday and confident coming into today so it was nice to see I could get back to the top.
"Three tenths is just slipstream and not being first out of the pit lane, so it was nothing to worry about. But people like to make a lot of things up, but I felt good. The car has been flying all weekend, Oscar has been doing a good job all weekend, so we are pushing each other a lot."
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