Formula One says it is « working through various options « for people who bought tickets for the washed-out Belgian Grand Prix this past Sunday, although it has yet to offer refunds.
Reigning seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton led the calls for fans to be given a full refund for a race he labelled a « farce ».
Heavy rain meant the race was unable to go ahead, but three laps were completed behind the Safety Car, ensuring it was officially considered a race result, with the top ten drivers being awarded half points as per F1’s regulations.
Many fans sat or stood for over six hours in the rain, only for the race to be red-flagged without a single lap of racing.
While there was discussion on Sunday night over who might be obligated to issue a refund, F1 is understood to be discussing options with the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
F1’s statement said: « Following the impact of the weather on the Belgium Grand Prix on Sunday 29th August, Formula 1 and the promoter are working through various options for ticket holders, to express our recognition and thanks to them for their dedication and commitment, » the statement said.
« We will provide further details as soon as possible as we want to thank the fans for their continued support and passion for Formula One ».
McLaren boss Zak Brown believes all the stakeholders involved are responsible for compensating fans.
« I believe we still need to provide value to those fans that attended, » Brown told ESPN. « We can’t just chalk that down to a bad day.
« If we are all custodians of Formula One, which we are, we all play a role in contributing to making sure that those fans that sat in the grandstands for six hours feel they got their money’s worth.
« I think McLaren plays a role in that. I don’t think it’s an FIA, a Formula One, a track, a teams, a drivers… it’s all of the above. We are custodians for the sport and the lifeblood of the sport is the fan base and we as an industry owe it to our fans to deliver the experience they were expecting.
« I’m very open-minded and looking forward to the meeting Stefano [Domenicali, F1 boss] has called to have a discussion on how is the best way for Formula One as an industry to do that. »
F1’s season continues on Sep. 5 with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/32125609/f1-working-various-options-belgian-gp-ticketholders
