Brawn on half points: 'Reward drivers for their courage in qualifying'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
The race weekend at Spa was a weekend without a race and with a lot of rain. So much rain that the race, after five hours of waiting, couldn't take place and after two laps behind the safety car half points had to be awarded.
Ross Brawn says in his column on formula1.com Brawn says he is not satisfied with the weekend but doesn't see any other solution. He feels sorry for the fans who came to Spa in large numbers.
"I feel terrible for the fans, who came out in their thousands and braved the persistently wet conditions in the stands to support their heroes. They showed such dedication and will never forget this weekend."
"Unfortunately the weather worked against us," Brawn continued. "It was relentless. The FIA tried everything and sent the cars out twice behind the Safety Car to assess the conditions. The problem was not so much the intensity of the rain, but rather its constancy, which made visibility very poor."
Safety is the most important thing
That, then, is the reason, according to Brawn, that the Grand Prix really couldn't go ahead. "At the end of the day, safety comes first. And it wasn't safe enough to continue the race. So the FIA did the best they could in difficult conditions like we haven't seen in decades." Brawn also knows that half points are not what fans, drivers and teams are waiting for. Nevertheless, he believes it was the best option.
"There were half points awarded. It's not ideal, but if you can't reward someone for the race, reward them for their bravery in qualifying. A lap like George Russell did in qualifying in the absence of a full race should be rewarded. Like I said, it's not ideal, but it's where we are. The weather just wasn't with us on Sunday."
At least next weekend there will be no rain at Zandvoort, where the Dutch Grand Prix will be held. In that respect, the chance of a repeat performance is rather small.