Formula 1

Belgian GP: Verstappen wins as rain prevents any racing action at Spa

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Max Verstappen's pole became victory at the Belgian Grand Prix as rain limited action to a few laps behind the Safety Car.

The initial start was delayed by 25 minutes due to the conditions with drivers completed two formation laps before the race was stopped again.

Almost 3 hours later, and a few special rules later, a small break in the weather allowed them to complete two full laps behind the Safety Car before the race was red-flagged and declared.

As a result, the 2021 Belgian GP is now the shortest race in F1 history, taking the crown from the 1991 Australian GP in Adelaide.

It also means only half points are awarded for the first time since the 2009 Malaysian GP.

George Russell's brilliant P2 in qualifying was converted into his first F1 podium for Williams, with Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes.

Daniel Ricciardo's celebrated his 200th race with fourth for McLaren, his best result of the season, ahead of Sebastian Vettel in fifth and  Pierre Gasly sixth.

The main drama of the day involved Sergio Perez, who crashed at Les Combes on his lap to the grid before the start.

Due to the delay, Red Bull was able to fix his car but the lack of racing meant he ultimately finished last, having not completed the earlier formation laps.

That promoted Esteban Ocon to seventh for Alpine, with the two Ferrari's benefitting from Perez's off and other grid penalties to finish eighth and 10th with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz respectively.

In between the two red cars was Nicholas Latifi in P9, as Williams scored double points for the second consecutive race.

Due to half points, Verstappen only gained five points on Hamilton in the Drivers' Championship, meaning the gap now sits at just three points heading to Zandvoort for the Dutch GP in just seven days time.

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