Wet conditions for the Belgian Grand Prix made it a long afternoon for FIA Race Director Michael Masi, and while he stated there was a real attempt to get the race underway, the window F1 had to do so closed very quickly. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was declared the winner of Sunday's event at Spa-Francorchamps, with half points awarded after two laps were completed behind the Safety Car following a lengthy delay. When asked about the day from his perspective, Masi was honest about just how busy things were for him. "It's probably the most hectic day," Masi told RacingNews365.com and other members of the media. "We've obviously seen up and down weather here all weekend, but today was the worst of it. So [it was] certainly a challenge." When asked whether the two laps that were completed after a nearly three-hour delay were simply run in order to hand out points, Masi explained that there was a small window he thought could be used to get the race underway, before it was quickly shut. "We were all aiming for a window that we thought was there, the teams saw that there was a weather band there, where we thought we could get something in," Masi commented. "As all of you know, from being fans of the sport, you've all seen how rapidly the weather changes at this venue, having seen rain on one side at times and sunshine on the other. "We thought we could get something in, but then the weather deteriorated so rapidly that, unfortunately, we couldn't." There were questions following the race as to whether the minimum required two laps had been completed for half points to be awarded. Masi said that the rules related to red flags were not connected to those regarding the awarding of points. "There's been three laps completed," Masi added. "The third lap was completed as the cars crossed the control line in the fast lane [of the pit lane]. "And then the classification for points is taken on the penultimate lap before the lap the signal was given. So there's effectively two separate points. "One is what's done to complete a race. One is what happens on the basis of championship points."
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