George Russell defends FIA with 'stupidity' claim

George Russell has come to the support of the FIA over the decision to delay the Belgian Grand Prix due to adverse weather.

The Mercedes driver claimed that attempting to drive in conditions through the Eau Rouge-Raidillon section of Spa-Francorchamps "isn't racing, it's just stupidity", given how dangerous it is.

That section of track has seen two deaths in recent years, with Anthoine Hubert losing his life following an F2 crash there in 2019 and FRECA driver Dilano van 't Hoff passing away after a multi-car crash in heavy rain in 2023.

F1 race director Rui Marques eventually postponed the race by 80 minutes after concerns over a lack of visibility, and some drivers, namely Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, were critical of the call.

The seven-time F1 drivers' champion suggested it was an overreaction after the British Grand Prix, something the Dutchman agreed with, saying: "It's a bit of a shame. I knew that they would be a bit more cautious because of Silverstone, but this also didn't make sense... this was then the other extreme for me."

Following the formation lap beginning as scheduled, albeit behind the safety car, the decision to red flag proceedings was made, with numerous drivers providing their opinions, which will have informed the direction of race control.

Russell backed the move, suggesting it is like having a "blindfold on" in those treacherous conditions.

"As a racer, you always want to get going," the Mercedes driver told media, including RacingNews365. "You love driving in the rain.

"But the fact is, when you’re doing over 200 miles an hour out of Eau Rouge, you literally cannot see anything, you may as well have a blindfold on. It isn’t racing, it’s just stupidity."

From there, the start was held off for the track to dry. The grand prix eventually got going at 16:20 local time, with the opening four laps run behind the safety car.

"So I think, considering it was clearly going to be dry from four o'clock onwards, I think they made the right call," the four-time grand prix winner added.