Liam Lawson disagrees with Max Verstappen over Belgian GP ruling

Liam Lawson believes race control was right to delay the start of the Belgian Grand Prix amid the wet conditions at Spa-Francorchamps.

Following an initial assessment with laps behind the safety car, race control opted to deploy a red flag and all cars returned to the pit lane.

An 80-minute delay then occurred, after which more laps were conducted behind the safety car ahead of a rolling start procedure.

The decision was criticised by Max Verstappen, who was keen to go racing without any delay.

However, Lawson stated race control made the right decision to commence the race when they did.

“That’s an important one for today,” Lawson told media including RacingNews365. “I think it was very well timed. We did a few laps under the safety car.

“The conditions were getting better, and I think it was honestly the right time to start the race.

“The spray, it’s always going to be bad in F1. I don't think there were any crashes or anything like that. At least where I was, it was comfortable.”

Lawson enjoyed a positive race and crossed the line in eighth, marking his third point-scoring result of the season.

The New Zealander hailed the pace of his car throughout the grand prix, insisting he was comfortable in both wet and dry conditions.

“It was a very good call from the team on the pit stop, and the car was very good as well,” he said.

“Honestly, in both conditions, I felt really strong at the start on the intermediate [tyre] and after the pit stop as well.

“Once the tyres came in, we were able to have a strong sort of second half of the race as well. So, I’m very, very happy.”