It was just right
Fernando Alonso:We are aware that safety comes first, as we discussed on Friday during the earlier briefing. I believe initially the conditions weren't suitable for racing due to limited visibility, so I think the race started at the appropriate time, to be honest.
Gabriel Bortoleto: Safety comes first at all times. I believe when we went out for the first time, there was so much spray and aquaplaning that if we had raced under those conditions, someone could have been injured. I enjoy racing in any condition, but when it's not favorable, it's not favorable, and we need to be realistic about that. I truly feel that today we started at the right time, and the FIA did a very good job in that regard.
Pierre Gasly:Fair to say, at the start, the first lap we couldn't see anything. So it was the correct decision to bring out the red flag. Then a large cloud approached, and there might have been a five-minute window, but I think they made the right choice. It's always the same debate: could the race have restarted 10 minutes earlier or later? I believe, in the end, considering the history of this track and what usually happens, as a driver, you'd prefer to be 10 minutes late rather than 10 minutes early. So, from my perspective, they made the right call, and you can always debate whether it should have been a few minutes earlier or later, but ultimately, they chose the safer option, which was the correct one.
Liam Lawson:To be honest, I believe it was perfectly timed. We completed a few laps behind the safety car, and the conditions were improving. I think it was indeed the right moment to begin the race. The spray is always going to be an issue in Formula 1, but I don't think there were any accidents or similar problems. For us, at least in my position, it was manageable.
Esteban Ocon:The FIA performed exceptionally well in that aspect by looking after us. I believe they made the correct decision by beginning at the appropriate time.
Oscar Piastri:In the past few years, especially here, we have provided the FIA with feedback that we would prefer to be cautious rather than take any risks. And I believe that's what we did today. I think if you were to be picky, perhaps we could have done one fewer formation lap. But in the bigger picture, if that was one lap too early, is it worth it? No.
"Additionally, the three of us [podium finishers Piastri,Lando Norris and Charles LeclercThey are the worst people to ask, as we have the fewest cars in front of us. So yeah, for someone at the back, the first time we tried to start the race, even for myself with Lando ahead, I couldn't see anything. So you can only imagine how it is for the drivers at the back. That's always a challenging situation to manage because those at the front have an easier time compared to those at the rear.
Yuki Tsunoda: "Right decision."
A little late, but it's not a problem.
Franco Colapinto:I believe it's challenging for the FIA, as at Silverstone people were complaining it was too wet, and now it's too dry, which makes things complicated for them. It's really hard to assess before the cars hit the track. I think it was too wet when they red-flagged the session once, perhaps it was already too late. I don't have a clear answer. Naturally, we'll discuss to figure out if we should have started earlier or not.
Isack Hadjar:We finished 44 laps. The race was well controlled. Visibility was good after we resumed. Perhaps we could have taken a smaller margin, but it was definitely managed effectively.
Lewis Hamilton:We clearly began the race a little bit too late, I believe. I kept yelling, it's ready to go, it's ready to go. But they kept going around and around. So I think they might have overreacted from the previous race when we told them not to restart the race too early due to poor visibility. And I think this weekend they went a bit too far in the opposite direction since we didn't require a rolling start.
I believe they still performed well. Naturally, we missed some of the intense wet conditions, which I think would have been beneficial. However, for some reason, the spray this year seems like driving through fog. I'm not sure what steps we will take to address it.
Charles Leclerc:I believe it's always a matter of adjustment. I must say that on a track like this, considering what has happened historically, I think it's impossible to ignore. For that reason, I prefer to be cautious rather than act too soon. Once more, I think it's an ongoing conversation and may lead those who made this choice to realize it might have been slightly delayed, but I wouldn't have altered anything.
Carlos Sainz:In a regular race, yes, I believe we could have started maybe 5-10 minutes earlier. At Spa-Francorchamps and considering the history of this circuit, it's better to be safe than [unclear]. You all saw the entire race, so I don't think it was a bad decision. It was a safe choice! My respect goes to the race director, as he mentioned after Silverstone and the incidents there that he would take a more cautious approach here, and that's exactly what he did. Better safe than risk an accident and later regret it.
Too late
Alex Albon:I do [believe it might have begun sooner]. By the time we actually started, it was almost dry. Not certain if it would have made a big difference. Perhaps it would have made the race a bit more thrilling, with a longer wet period during the race.
Max Verstappen:Of course we discussed after Silverstone to be a bit more careful with our choices, but this was the opposite for me. [...] They didn't let us compete in the rain.
I would have preferred to start the race at 3pm immediately. It wasn't even raining. Naturally, there was a significant amount of water between Turn 1 and 5, but with two laps under the safety car, it would have been much clearer. The rest of the track was already prepared. It's somewhat disappointing.
This didn't make sense. It's better to say, you know what, let's wait until it's fully dry and then we can start at 6, because this isn't really wet-weather racing for me.
