In a damning statement, Alfa Romeo slammed Formula 1 for the handling of the rain-affected 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, express sympathy with fans at the venue to watch a race that never happened, yet a podium ceremony did take place.
The Swiss-based team, with heavy Ferrari backing, released the following statement after the aborted race at Spa-Francorchamps:
“A huge thank you to all the incredible fans that spent hours in the elements for the race to start: with your patience and determination, you are the true Drivers of the Day.
“For months, we have been looking forward to having the stands full of fans supporting our team and our sport: unfortunately, we weren’t able to put up a show for you yesterday.
The decision not to race in these conditions was the right one, in the interest of protecting the safety of the drivers, the marshals and the spectators themselves.
“However, the situation would have been dealt with a lot more appropriately by not having at all the “race” we witnessed yesterday: this outcome hurts us all, but in particular it hurts fans of the sport, who didn’t get the show they came to see.
“We hope lessons were learnt yesterday, lessons that will improve the way we operate in the future and that put the supporters of our sport in the position they deserve to be.”
“Once again, our genuine thanks go to all the fans – you were the ones to truly shine yesterday in Spa,” concluded the Alfa Romeo statement.
#BelgianGP – Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN Team statement 🗞 pic.twitter.com/LH4mMmUNHh
— Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN (@alfaromeoracing) August 30, 2021