Max Verstappen wins the Belgian Grand Prix without racing a single lap
Image: Peter Fox/Getty Images
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday without racing even a single lap as half-points were awarded for only the sixth time in Formula One history.
After some three hours of waiting for the rain to subside, the race started from the pitlane and behind the safety car and was then stopped after completing the two laps required to award half points.
George Russell finished second for Williams, his first Formula One podium, with seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton third for Mercedes.
Hamilton’s overall lead over Verstappen was cut from eight points to three.
The rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix was Formula One’s shortest race and only the sixth since the championship started in 1950 to end with half-points awarded.
Following are details on the other five half-point races:
MALAYSIA 2009
Britain’s Jenson Button won a chaotic Malaysian Grand Prix for his second triumph in two races for Brawn GP. The race was abandoned behind the safety car after 32 of 56 scheduled laps due to a torrential downpour.
AUSTRALIA 1991
The season-ending race in Adelaide was won by Brazilian Ayrton Senna after being stopped on the 14th of 81 laps due to heavy rain. Italian Gianni Morbidelli ended the year with only a half-point and had to wait until 1994 to score a whole one.
MONACO 1984
The race was halted in the 31st of 77 laps due to rain. French great Alain Prost was the winner. He ended up losing the title that year by a half-point to Austrian Niki Lauda, despite having won more races.
AUSTRIA 1975
Stopped in the 29th of 54 laps at the Oesterreichring due to rain. The late Italian Vittorio Brambilla took the only victory of his Formula One career and was so excited that he spun into the barriers after taking the chequered flag.
SPAIN 1975
The race at Barcelona’s Montjuich circuit was stopped after 29 of the 75 laps when German Rolf Stommelen’s Lola crashed into the crowd and killed five spectators. Italian Lella Lombardi finished sixth, becoming the first woman driver to score — though no woman has scored a full point yet.
