Rate the race: 2016 Belgian Grand Prix

2016 Belgian Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by

What did you think of today’s race? Share your verdict on the Belgian Grand Prix.

Since 2008, F1 Fanatic has held polls on every F1 race to find out which fans thought of each round of the season.

Join in the latest poll and give your verdict on the race: 10 being the highest and 1 the lowest. Please vote based on how entertaining and exciting you thought the race was, not on how your preferred driver or team performed.

What were the best and worst moments of the race? What was the main thing you’ll remember about it? Rate the race out of ten and leave a comment below:

Rate the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix out of ten

  • 10 (2%)
  • 9 (12%)
  • 8 (32%)
  • 7 (34%)
  • 6 (12%)
  • 5 (3%)
  • 4 (2%)
  • 3 (1%)
  • 2 (0%)
  • 1 (1%)

Total Voters: 433

 Loading ...

1 = ‘Terrible’, 10 = ‘Perfect’

An F1 Fanatic account is required to vote. You can register an account here or read more about registering here. When this poll is closed the result will be displayed instead of the voting form.

View more Rate the Race results:

See the results for past seasons here:

Author information

Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

133 comments on “Rate the race: 2016 Belgian Grand Prix”

  1. 7. Decent race. Ruined by the first corner collision.

  2. Good stuff. 8/10. No battle for the lead but action further down the field was entertaining.

  3. 8/10. Bonus points for Verstappen not getting points with his dirty driving too, so 9/10 overall.

    1. Yep, I was happy about that too. Most obnoxious driver since Senna, and still in time to beat him for all-time worst.

    2. LOL! I bonus to that!

  4. 9 for the whole start drama

    -0.5 for RICs somewhat subdued performance
    -1.5 for Vettel, Kimi and Max out of the race for win after a few seconds
    -1 for the general snoozefest in most of the latter part of the race
    -0.5 for the dumb red flag rules
    -0.5 for Max’s performance
    -0.5 for quite a few dull passing moves due to DRS

    So a 4.5

    1. It’s always bad when a race looks really promising and ends up pretty dull in almost all possible ways…

    2. @magon04 Don’t understand why you would 1. Deduct points for Ricciardo doing a great job to 2nd, 2. What was wrong with the red flag rules? It’s a question of safety, 3. Why should Max’s performance affect your Rate the Race results? It clearly states that the performance of a driver shouldn’t affect your rating, it is purely how you found the race in terms of entertainment.

        1. @mashiat, the red flag is necessary, but the rule that you can then basically reset the race since you now can change anything on the car is not very fair to those who had made some good tactical decisions. It made Lewis life much easier. And Max performance affected it for me since the crowd was there mainly to see him shine, and that expectation wasn’t met (I am not a Max fan myself). Ricciardo could have challenged for the win, I think. He did an okay job, but with the first round collision, it was up to him to try and make the race for victory more interesting. It might be that he didnt have the car to challenge, but looking at the whole WE, it seemed he was not quite on his best form.

      1. Yes, Keith does ask for an opinion based on “entertainment”, but I follow F1 for the racing (I gave up watching WWE years ago.)
        Anyway, average race; +1 for a sold out crowd at probably the best track of the season; +1 for Alonso coming from the back with the “worst” engine on the grid; +1 for Hamilton, same thing with the “best” car on the grid.
        But -2 for the youngster’s lack of experience and antics in the first corner. I don’t really care about him ruining his own race, but taking out two world champions is more than disappointing and probably took a lot of spice out of the race.

        1. Did you even see the 1st corner? “taking out two world champions”??? Vettel was the one who took Raikkonen and Ves out.

          1. I don’t agree. VET expected Kimi you take the same inside line that ROSS had already taken. He couldn’t know that Max had dived down inside Kimi and forced him to keep all 4 wheels well outside the curb.

            You don’t dive down inside and force a 3 wide and then act surprised when bad things happen.

          2. Sigh, stupid autocorrect.

        2. @paul-a

          Keith does ask for an opinion based on “entertainment”, but I follow F1 for the racing

          The assumption being that you watch F1 for the racing because the racing itself is entertaining.

          1. That “assumption” is not quite what I had in mind. The Oxford English Dictionary gives entertainment as “The action of providing or being provided with amusement or enjoyment” and I was personally not amused by the Belgian GP. On the other hand, it’s probably true that I have, on the whole, enjoyed F1 since Silverstone in 1950 as a spectator, marshal, in newspapers, magazines and books and nowadays more on TV.
            I mentioned WWE as the “entertainment” comparison. Year ago, professional wrestling was a competitive sport, then it started to get “rigged”, now it’s pure, frivolous entertainment. F1 is beginning to get “rigged” — lawyer-type rule-books, inconsistent decisions, big money, one-man control of the FIA — and we’re losing control of the purity of motor racing, the drivers constrained by tyres, fuel, radios, sponsors; technology no longer free to innovate, but constrained by some blinkered concept of “we’ll define what we think is good for you”; and non-manufacturer teams, let alone privateers, either back-of-the-grid or bankrupt.
            I’m an F1 fan because I love the sport, not the current circus.

    3. @magon4
      “-0.5 for RICs somewhat subdued performance
      -1.5 for Vettel, Kimi and Max out of the race for win after a few seconds
      -1 for the general snoozefest in most of the latter part of the race
      -0.5 for the dumb red flag rules
      -0.5 for Max’s performance”

      Really? I agree the sport isn’t doing any great in popularity compared to its past due to largely its own doings but also some degree of contribution comes from over-demanding fans like you who wants action and drama every corner of the race and lack a sound understanding of the races.

      1. geoffgroom44 (@)
        28th August 2016, 17:39

        spot on,Neel

      2. @neelv27 actually that was just my first reaction to the race. I have been watching F1 since 1989 and I know what to expect, and I do admit now that this was an above average race. Normally I am the one pointing out what you did, so I accept that critisicm. F1 fans expectations are generally to high and it shows they are not familiar with the sport.
        Having said that, Spa has always been my favorite track (and I have been there for live action), for many reasons and possibilities, mostly because of the track and changin weather. I was already a little disappointed to see the weather situation, but at least it promised more of a race for the win because Mercedes seemed to struggle with the hot conditions. Then you see a weekend where the crowd packs the circuit, Ferrari a Max Verstappen are on great form, even able to challenge for victory, Kimi feeling at home at his best circuit – it had all the ingredients for a great race, never mind the lack of changin weather.
        So for this particular race I did have high expecations and saw them go one by one. That’s all. But I guess a 7 or 8 is fairer than my knee-jerk reaction earlier.

        1. @magon4 fair enough mate! Peace!

        2. Good on you to own up man. Wish I saw more of that on this site. It’s these reasons that I never vote until well after the race. Usually after seeing and/or reading a lot of replays or often watching the race a second time. I actually haven’t been back to this sour in months because I’m getting so tired of the ridiculous and immature expectations from so many “fans” these days. When you’ve watched racing religiously for decades, and enjoy good racing, throughout the field or at the front, you appreciate the depth and amazing complexity and vast number of variables involved. It’s always exciting for me because I watch Formula 1 seasons, not just races, if that makes any sense…

  5. 8/10 – Crazy start to the race, thanks to VET and VES being super aggressive into T1 on L1… Then the massive Magnussen shunt on Eau Rouge threw the strategies completely out the window. We saw a lot of action throughout the race as lots of cars out of position moving up through the field.

    1. Ves is on course to causing high speed carnage with his go kart defending!!!

      1. petebaldwin (@)
        29th August 2016, 12:14

        @nosehair – it’s not even kart defending! Have you played any of the Codemasters F1 games online? There’s always one person driving around trying to take overtone out rather than racing – otherwise known as “doing a Verstappen”

        1. No havent played online games, though l raced karts and open wheels 20 odd years ago and Ves and his defending is kart defending and it has been since he started in f1…the drivers are concerned as they should be!!! I like ves and his aggression BUT his high speed baulking and pushing drivers off the track needs to be looked at.

  6. 9. So close to a ten but it was a bit quiet at the end. Other than that a perfect race – crashes, wheel to wheel racing, controversial moves, fast drivers coming through the field and the whole field showing their skills.

  7. Decent race. 7. However, these tyre pressures… too much…. As for Verstappen… That looked like quite unsportsmanslike… Didn’t anyone notice Hulkenberg weaving more than once when defending from someone? I think it was Alonso?

    1. Hulk did it at least twice, once with Lewis, can’t remember who the second one was.

      Max should also get a reprimand for his driving.

      1. Yeah, but given Alonso wasn’t penalised for his unfair release, I think it’s smarter to not penalise both of them instead of giving them both a penalty.

    2. He was trying to break the tow, the camera angle might have made it look like weaving as alonso didn’t want to lose the tow, it was fair. Hulkenberg is not a scumbag like verstappen.

      1. Exactly, tried to break tow.. Not exactly a dangerous defense move like Max did…

      2. He’s not a dirty driver but weaving is banned.

        This was clarified in 2008? I think when Lewis got pinged for it, exactly the same move of weaving to break the tow.

        Fine if they want to allow it but they have to be consistent and clear with their rules

        1. 2010 against Petrov in Malaysia.

          1. Thanks @SpeedyCarVroom

      3. The rule is very simple, make one move, just because it was Hulkenberg doesn’t mean he didn’t move more than once

  8. Yes (@come-on-kubica)
    28th August 2016, 14:48

    What a dreadfully dull race even with all the incident.

  9. Too many fly-by, easy DRS overtakes to make this race enjoyable, I’m afraid, just like the year before.

    1. DRS again ruining one of the best tracks in world. A complete waste of time considering there was no genuine racing on display. It’s races like this that make me want to to give up watching this sport. Dreadful.

  10. 8/10 – crazy first stint, but Rosberg was flawless throughout. Nice battles down the field, and DRS wasn’t as bad as GP2

  11. 5.

    About average really. Verstappen was disappointing. Ricciardo had a lack of fire.

    Impressed with Hulkenberg, feel bad for Button and the Ferrari’s.

    I suppose the only plus is the championship might get dragged out a little longer.

    1. Oh, and a bit shocked at Magnussen’s crash. The headrest seemed to come off in the impact.

      1. Ric had a lack of fire!!!This the first time you watched a gp???, he was in a inferior car and come 2nd because he was smooth and managed his tyres…the best result posible for RB…

        1. I love Ricciardo – probably one of my favourite drivers so maybe I was hoping him to challenge Rosberg a little harder than he did. Didn’t expect him to qualify behind Verstappen and the Ferrari’s and can’t help but think if Verstappen hadn’t eliminated himself and the two Ferrari’s Ricciardo would have finished pretty much where he started.

          Glad he held onto 2nd and kept his nose clean though.

          1. Ric quali has been brill this year,he made a mistake in the first sector of his first run in q3 it happens…if he had pushed nico in race he would of chewed his tyres..this is why Ric he a great driver he can control his aggression and manage his race…max would of been up nico’s arse and chewing up his tyres..just like he did last race.

  12. geoffgroom44 (@)
    28th August 2016, 14:52

    Interesting exploration of differing strategies and some fascinating battles going on. Very happy to see the skill levels that allow for avoidance of serious accidents even in tyre touches (except 1) and even happier to see all drivers home safe.

  13. No track limit sensor’s at turn 1? Max was literally in the pit Lane trying to take that corner, no wonder Seb thought it was only Kimi he didn’t expect a red bull to starting his race off the track.

  14. petebaldwin (@)
    28th August 2016, 14:54

    8 for me. Lots of close battles throughout the field. Enjoyed that.

    Pleased to see Verstappen finish 11th after trying to run everyone else off the track!

  15. 7/10. A crazy start to the race and for once mixed order. There was a good amount of action, the best of it Perez’s move on Massa, so it wasn’t grand prix like the previous two. However Mercedes victory was never in doubt and Hamilton’s progress through the field wasn’t as interesting as I hoped. I could have given an 8 but I won’t because of many DRS passes down the Kemmel Straight.

    1. *so it wasn’t a boring grand prix like the previous two.

  16. 4/10 from me.

    Too much tyre management meant nobody was really ever pushing.

    DRS was way, way too effective & it just made 95% of the ‘passing’ utterly boring & uneventful to watch. There was simply no excitement or any interest around any of it as they were practically all boringly easy slam dunk highway passing.

  17. Why? This is always happening to us. Summer break, if you’re lucky you forget f1 for a couple weeks. Great Saturday, great grid great spectacle but, everyone’s sensing the opportunity, someone destroys the race at the start. 3/10. I have been on Verstappen’s corner but this time it was not his corner, gp2 like behaviour on the start, in particular from Max and Vettel, reckless move. Big crowds today, I think we lost the stewards in them because there’s a need to instil some sportsman like behaviour on Max. Max run off track, blocked and forced drivers off track and started the race in front of his grid spot, yet not a penalty not a reprimand. I’ve defended him when the investigations on Max would deter drivers from trying but today, he stopped racing.

    1. I don’t think Verstappen was doing something wrong at the start, it’s more Vettel’s fault IMHO.

      But his driving afterwards was less than stellar.

      1. It was Ves and not much different to why dannii was sacked

        1. @nosehair Kvyat was fired because he couldn’t match Ricciardo

      2. You couldn’t be more wrong.

        If he (Ves) has lost two positions and hopes that by diving on the inside and braking later, he can make the corner, then he is out of his mind.

        He is just gonna run out of space and wont be able to steer into the corner properly.

  18. The race is not won on the first lap. Max has to learn that. Not only did he ruin his own race, he ruined it for us fans by depriving us of a good race with the ferraris. Also, max is a dirty driver. Poor kimi at the end of it again. If I’m kimi I would punch the crap of out max

    1. That’s how a child would react. Fortunately, Kimi is a mature driver

  19. 5, DRS made the passing too easy & as a result I simply never got into it as that just isn’t the sort of racing i enjoy.

    1. It’s the sort of racing that no one should enjoy. It is utterly pathetic.

  20. rubbish drs-fest with lot of tyre saving.

    they seriously need to get rid of this silly drs gimmick as its simply destroying the racing, no battles anymore as they just need to push a button to open there letterbox slot & breeze past without any drama.

  21. Matt (@hamiltonfan1705)
    28th August 2016, 14:59

    Start was absolutely mental, felt like the sort of start you’d see in GP2 or GP3

    After the red flag however which firstly I think was called a bit late as the barrier was obviously damaged and secondly thank god Kevin was OK after his Radillon crash, it was average.

    1. It was sad to see Hulkenberg lose a spot due to the late red flag.

      But yeah, the first 15 laps were a GP 2 style 9/10, after that quite a boring race.

  22. 3/10.

    Tuned out half way through thanks to this silly DRS wing making the overtaking too easy whihc just is not all that fun to watch IMO.

  23. Good race, ruined by the booing of ROS on the podium. Disgraceful.

    1. i didn’t hear any booing.

      1. Loads of it on C4 coverage, Rosberg got boos as soon as Mark stopped speaking.

    2. If you drive like a pantomime villain, it’s hardly surprising when the fans boo you.
      There’s nothing disgraceful about it, which is more than can be said about Nico’s driving at several races over the last few seasons.

      1. I don’t subscribe to the “fans should never boo” but I think Rosbergs reception was a little harsh. After his move on Verstappen in Germany however he was never going to get the warmest of welcomes in Spa

  24. Enjoyed that, a lot of good racing.

    Great race for Lewis, sure the start helped him, but come on, last to 3rd. Now that’s a race. Great race by Nico, did what he had to do. Great race by Ric. Well deserved podium places.

    On the other end, Vestappen was dangerous. The stewards need to take his dangerous driving seriously.

    1. +1. Couldn’t agree more!

  25. 9, so much action

  26. 4\10 – DRS = Enough said.

  27. i’d love to know where all this supposedly ‘great’ racing was because all i saw was an utterly boring Tyre management DRS-fest where practically all of the passing was done very easy thanks to the DRS.

    Where was this close battling, Where was this supposedly ‘great’ overtaking that was worth watching because i didn’t see much of that at all?

    1. The Vettel-Verstappen scrap was entertaining.

      1. @paeschli it was, however it was ultimately decided by an easy DRS pass which simply wasn’t all that exciting to watch. in the pre-DRS days we likely would have had a much longer fight with any resulting overtake been far more exciting in the braking zone rather than part way down the straight.

        It was especially stupid when a proper overtake by vettel was immediately rendered pointless as verstappen got an easy DRS pass 10 seconds later.

        1. Ok Roger, your gripe’s about DRS overtaking. Message received.

          But seriously you should expedite your appointment with the ophthalmologist, ‘cos that was some exhilarating racecraft on display today!

          8/10

  28. 5, or maybe even 4. Cannot be happy when the race is ruined after 3 sec of a 2-hour race. This is supposed to be Formula 1, not bumper cars for kids.

  29. An 8 from me. Was a great race until about 2 thirds distance and then it sort of stopped. Still would’ve been a 9. However…

    Another mark down because of the stewards. Are they waiting that the Verstappen idiot kills somebody before they act upon his dirty and dangerous driving? He’s making the dirtiest driver of all time Michael Schumacher look like Mother Theresa. No investigation even. Are you afraid that the fans dressed in orange gonna boo you down? Pathetic

  30. 6. Start was quite exciting but unfortunately it canceled out a promising podium battle between Ferrari/Red bull. DRS made overtaking too easy as per usual. Very boring towards end of race.

  31. Sviatoslav (@)
    28th August 2016, 15:07

    Gave it two points because of stupid DRS passes. This is disgusting.

  32. 7/10… Verstappen given unnecessary publicity! For me he is the new Maldonado with a bigger team!!! No respect for the sport! No respect for the rules! Vettel was ahead of him in the first corner! He should have backed off not Vettel. Overall decent race with excellent performance from Alonso and Hamilton!!!

  33. 6/10 Not a lot of racing action. Seeing cars stroll past under DRS has no entertainment value. Hamilton’s recovery drive didn’t seem to require much beyond keeping out of trouble and being consistent. Don’t get me wrong he was consistently fast but it’s not entertaining to watch like a driver having to battle for positions.

  34. 7.

    Verstappen… what an idiot!!! He even dared to blame Kimi for closing the door in the 1st corner!
    Hamilton… what a lucky bloke!! 3 cars colliding in the 1st corner, then SC… wow, if that’s not luck…! Is there a race where he started in the last positions that wasn’t interrupted by SC??!

  35. 10/10 up to the Red Flag
    4/10 after the Red Flag
    6/10 overall
    Way too much DRS, as always at Spa, robbed us of any real battles, and left us watching passes instead of racing.

  36. Think i’ll give it a 4.

    I just don’t find the sort of easy DRS-ing we saw so much of that entertaining to watch & there was a period towards the end where I just kind of zoned out because every pass that occurred was just too easy.

    If they are going to insist on retaining the DRS they really do need to change the way they use it & be more sensible in when/where they use it. On some circuits sure DRS can be a bit of a benefit but at others its simply not needed & I feel this is one of them. Before DRS we always saw a lot of good racing & overtaking here at Spa, Since DRS came in & was put where it has been on the Kemmel straight the racing here really has suffered as we now see less side by side fighting down to the Les Combes braking zone & a lot of the very easy DRS passes.

  37. 7/10 The start totally throw everyone but Rosberg and Ricciardo out of their plan. Unexpected Magnussen crash makes Alonso and Hamilton get in the front virtually without any resistance. A good race for Rosberg, Ricciardo, Hamilton, Hulk, Perez, Alonso, and bad race for Ferraris, Williams, and Verstappen. Especially Verstappen, this is another race where he should reflect on what’s happening and learn from it.

    1. +1.

      Thing is, given who’s Verstappen boss(es)… Christian Horner… I highly doubt he’ll change tactics. Horner seems like a little cheater too.

  38. Rick (@wickedwicktheweird)
    28th August 2016, 15:24

    5/10 another DRS snoozefest. For next year they should remove the DRS-zone on the Kemmel straight. DRS is too effective there and history shows us that Kemmel doesn’t need DRS. Removing DRS from Kemmel would also encourage drivers to overtake more at La Source or even busstop.

  39. I can’t believe max didn’t get a penalty for that ridiculous block on Kimi! Where were the stewards??!! That was dangerous, he did that in Hungary as well on Kimi. Moving after the driver makes a move, you can’t do that!!!! By not giving him a penalty they are only telling him that that’s ok. Absolute nonsense!

  40. 8. Quite an enjoyable race, actually! I feared a boring sunny sunday as it can be at Spa when there is no rain. A shame for Verstappen who ruined his own race immediately. Alonso and Hamilton storming to the front were particularly impressive, with Alonso holding two Williams and a Ferrari. Excellent job from both Force India too.

  41. Diminishes Racing Spectacles.

  42. [7] Regardless of the circumstances and situations, impressive performance by Lewis Hamilton, coming from back of the grid to podium.

    For all you statistician out there…. how many times has Nico Rosberg actually had to overtake another car during this whole season?

    1. ColdFly F1 (@)
      28th August 2016, 22:33

      For you as a statistician: how many cars did Hamilton overtake (and which)? Excluding cars that pitted during SC!

      Don’t get me wrong, I rate Hamilton highly, but he did nothing special today (could not even overtake a Red Bull on harder tyres on a power circuit with DRS!)

      1. Oddly, against Daniel he wasn’t using c DRS on the Kemmel. I have no idea why.

  43. Verstappen is the new Maldonado. I will concede that VES looks fast, but if he continues to drive the way he is currently, a humungous accident (likely involving a rival) is an inevitability.

    Nice production work by FOM regarding camera and mic placement–Spa looked fast and dangerous.

    1. Wrong. Verstappen is (going to be) the Marc Maquez of F1.

  44. A 6/10

    Yes there were a lot interesting stories happing on track, but all those moments existed because – or resulted in – bad driving. Despite some of the results some drivers got, for instance Hamilton, I didn’t see any real good racing. Nobody really excelled. Tire strategy was important but when it doesn’t result in on track scraps, as viewer it doesn’t really matter. And once there finally was someone putting a driver under pressure DRS made sure it wasn’t exciting for very long.

    If the stewards should receive any rating it would be a 1/10. There were numerous incidents that, while not necessarily deserving a penalty, should atleast have been under investigation. For instance the Alonso/Hulkenberg pit lane occurance. And of course the Verstappen/Räikkönen Eau Rouge incidents. Now I like Ves very much, and being Dutch I’m coloured even more, but what he does is dangerous. He keeps saying it is hard but fair, which it isn’t. Yes, apperently what he does fits within the rules, but when almost every driver, every commentator and lots of F1 watchers say it should be penalized and it is dangerous, something has to be done.

    1. Yeah, it is dangerous, every weekend he and Kimi go head to head and bang car parts… They crash even more than Nico and Lewis…

    2. @NewDust COTD right there.

  45. A 9/10… Started out slow… For MaxV anyway, but then race.really picked up on first corner with allmighty threeway shunt. Poor Kimi sandwiched between two hard charging first lap nutcasses.

    Vettel really did a poor job there, and Max was trying to climb a wall or something… Was gonna end baddly. 2 sides where Kimi could have been hit there, yet it ended up with both sides… Real skill there.

    And after that it looked very promissing, will Nico Hulk finaly get a podium? How is Alonso infront of Hamilton? Well it all descended in to a gigantic 10 lap Melee.

    At end of which KMag decided to take Eau Rouge flat with poor grip. Dayum what a crash. I saw him walk away… Placed pot of coffe on the stove. M m m!

    Then we had second Race, Hamilton started from 5th and bearly made 3rd, Vettel moved up from last place, Ves and Rai had their scrap(s), and all around fight for points.

    Best race we had so far this year so far as I am considered…

  46. A relatively good race with quite a good amount of battles for position down the field except the lead.

  47. To all the people complaining about DRS, I suggest you take a little trip to the YouTube and search for some of the old slipstream GP’s (Monza, early 70’s for instance). You’ll find DRS today was absolutely spot on, it perfectly mimicked the slipstream battles of the old days.
    I really don’t understand what you are all complaining about. Do you all really have problems with one car overtaking another? The DRS overtake isn’t easier than the natural slipstream (again, educate yourself on YouTube), it isn’t boring and it isn’t fake.

    1. In what way did it perfectly mimick the slipstream?

      with the slipstream as soon as you pull out you start to lose the speed gain as your hit by the air, with DRS you just keep been driven clear past with the same speed boost you had when you were behind.

      DRS does nothing but create skill-less, uninteresting, unexciting & utterly boring highway passes & i’m getting sick of it.

      1. @PeterG

        Again, watch the old races and you’ll see.

        Your last line is plain wrong, as demonstrated so clearly in Spa. While Vettel had no trouble at all passing Verstappen’s Red Bull or both of the Williams’s, Raikkonen in the same car seemed incapable of pulling the same skill-less, boring move time after time. Vettel then flew by Alonso, something the straightline rockets from Grove failed at for 40 laps. Also Gutierrez pulled this mindless move on Grosjean, but the Frenchman (generally regarded as the better driver here) couldn’t return the favour when the tables were turned. It’s obvious that making a DRS pass requires the same kind of preparation and positioning as a natural slipstream and that some are better at than others.

    2. Agreed there is way too much DRS whining, and many are clueless to the fact without DRS, you would have to effectively double the length of straights to get any real slip steaming with equal cars.

    3. it perfectly mimicked the slipstream battles of the old days

      I disagree with this completely: slipstreaming was a natural effect of the way the cars were designed at the time whereas DRS is entirely contrived by the rules and all the passes completed with is feel totally artificial as a result.

  48. I expected a lot from this race given the grid and the tyres but unfortunately the red flag ruined it for me. Thankfully that rule has been amended for next year. It started off absolutely chaotic and really it was a shame to lose three cars from contention so early on. It was absolutely frantic until Magnussen’s shunt.

    After the restart I didn’t think a great deal happened bar the great racing between Alonso and Hulkenberg in the pit exit. I spent much of the race cursing DRS underneath my breath as I have done so frequently in recent races. That’s why this race only gets a 6.

  49. 8 out of 10 for me. I just love Spa and Danny getting P2 is awesome.

  50. 9/10 from me. Needed a scrap for first and second to make it a 10.
    Apart from that it had action every where else.

  51. Cannot give 9 or 10 when there is no race/overtaking for the race lead/win.
    That some get away with bending the rules without consequences makes it sad to watch.
    Especially when it influences the final race results as they do.
    DRS has made F1 overtaking too ‘mechanical’ and less dependent on driver racing skill.
    Would give the race 6 or 7. But give it 8 because of the great Spa race track, the fantastic ambiance that always greets you here, that you are allowed to walk around the outside of the whole track during the race to get some great views of the action. And last but not least: Great beer and food here locally, all at reasonable price.

  52. It had all the recipes for a great race, with Hamilton starting from the back and Verstappen and the Ferraris having to fight their way back, but it all turned out to be rather anti-climatic, in my opinion. There are two main things to blame for that.

    First of all, the rule that drivers can switch their tyres during a red flag period. The most notable race where this has affected proceedings was in Monaco 2011, when a three-way battle for the lead between Vettel, Button and Alonso was neutralised by them switching to fresh tyres at the end. Today, Hamilton and Alonso both massively gained from it, effectively giving Hamilton about a dozen positions for free. Maybe it would be better if you can only switch to wets or intermediates during a red flag period.

    Secondly, DRS is extremely overpowered at Spa. It was the same in 2015, 2014, 2013.. but still the DRS zones remain unaltered. It’s completely unnecessary on the long Kemmel straight. It meant that Hülkenberg was unable to defend from Hamilton, Alonso from Perez and Vettel, Massa from Bottas and Raikkonen and so on. It would be so much more interesting to watch a battle rage for lap after lap, but with DRS a battle is usually just a one-lap affair.

    Still, entertaining start, interesting strategies, let’s give it a 7/10.

  53. Was brilliant to watch from the Kemmel Straight!! The crash at Eau Rouge and nearly jumped out of my skin with the tyre explosion of Sainz!! Action down the field was brilliant to see unfold, all in all top weekend!!

  54. Gave it a 6, too much silliness on the opening lap, only drive of interest was by Lewis.. bravo.
    @Did Rosberg not do a ‘victory’ lap?

    1. They never do a victory lap at spa as it takes too long, they enter the pits via the pit exit after turn 1.

      I gave the race an eight, a great race – the drives by Alonso, Raikonnen, Vettel and Hamilton truly the stuff of champions.

  55. 3/10. The race was almost completely ruined by some shoddy driving (mainly from Verstappen) and a massive lack of stewarding.

  56. While not a bad race by any stretch of the imagination, I think this was the classic race that got away from us after the Ferraris and Verstappen tangled at La Source and the tyres acted contrary to what was expected, leaving Rosberg to cruise away unchallenged when Riccardo and Hulkenburg should really have been able to punish him on what should have been the faster tyres at the restart. Hamilton and Alonso did brilliantly to get up the order, even with the chaos going on around them while Ocon put in a solid, if unspectacular performance on his first outing.

  57. We were robbed from some good battles because of DRS. I do not understand why desicion makers can not see that DRS is suitable for some tracks/some straights but absolutely ruins racing on others.
    We have DRS for many years now, there is a clear pattern where it is needless most of the time and where it actually does it’s job.

  58. Jonathan Parkin
    28th August 2016, 21:12

    Can I enquire as to why a) the cars stopped in the pit lane on the red flag and why b) did the restart take place behind the SC. Why didn’t they stop on the grid and have a normal start

    1. ColdFly F1 (@)
      28th August 2016, 22:28

      b) not part of the rules (yet).

      But I hated the red flag decision as much as you did (I guess).

  59. I voted a 6.

    Ok, the first 6-7 laps were a nice surprise because of the chaos and all the incidents going on. But after the restart, we once again had a very boring and processional race. The overtakings all looked similar and were unimpressive (95% of them were at the end of the Combes, DRS assisted), the running order was shaping up progressively towards the normal hierarchy. But the worst thing was that I felt like this race took ages to finish : it was very long and tedious, each lap felt like it dragged for a long time (because for most of it there was nothing going on, except cars following each other).
    Everyone praise Spa because of it’s unique setting, and the classic races it produced in the past. But I think nowadays the track isn’t a great one for F1 : no corners provide a challenge (because of the evolution of cornering speed), there are few places where two cars can be side by side, there are few spots of overtaking (les Combes mainly, the Chicane if the guy ahead is sleeping or too slow, or la Source where it’s difficult to maintain it’s gained position afterwards), and of course, there are zero penalty for going off the track because of all the runoff. I guess in the dry, Spa isn’t just a great place to have an exciting race…

  60. Whatever happened to the idea that they would review DRS lengths over time? The one at Spa is a good 150m too long. Time to get this conversation going again.

    Gave it a 7.5 and rounded to 8. First 10 laps was mad. I don’t know why they couldn’t change the rule where you get to change tyres etc. after a red flag during the season, it was unfair on those (Hulkenburg being one) who made clever strategy calls.

  61. ColdFly F1 (@)
    28th August 2016, 22:26

    6/10 – what a pity that 1st corner; took out 3 contenders who could have challenged Rosberg.
    Another crap decision was the free pit stops disguised as a red flag.

    One of the more boring races at Spa.

    1. “Another crap decision was the free pit stops disguised as a red flag.”

      It wasn’t a decision it was the rules. Rules that have been in place for many years.

  62. I have been desperate for F! to return and I really enjoyed the race. I don’t understand people suggesting it was boring – there was all sorts happening. I do not think that the rules are perfect – and DRS etc needs to be fixed, but my heart cries to hear the same old complaints whatever the action on track. Yes DRS is rubbish. Yes track limits needs to be looked at. Yes, yes, yes – but I really don’t understand how anyone who enjoys racing could call that a mediocre race. It was fun, exciting, scary and the field was all mixed up – I call for more of this , while of course fixing what ails the series.

  63. Good, not great. The Tap (Verstappen) ruining the race at the start

  64. Actually Vettel ruining the race for turning in like that at the first turn. Should of allowed way more room being on the outside of la source

  65. 7/10. Exciting start for the wrong reasons and lots of incidents. The action deteriorated towards the end though. Would have been interesting to see a proper fight between the Ferraris and Red Bull but the combined actions of Verstappen and Vettel spoil the this. I think the adulation from the local crowd went to Vers’ head. Mad move and the first corner and then allowed to get away with weaving….again! We’re the stewards asleep or too scared to do anything in view of the likely reaction. Did not like the crowds reaction to Rosberg. He drove the perfect weekend from his point of view.

  66. Vers got what his drive today deserved though. 11th!

  67. ILuvSoundtracks (@)
    29th August 2016, 16:30

    5. The first corner collision made me angry towards all the three involved in the collision.

  68. I rated the race a 7.75.

    It was a very eventful start to the race with all the collisions on the first lap and then we had the big Magnussen crash which resulted in first a safety car and then a red flag.

    This meant that there were a few cars out of position compared where they qualified so we got to see some recovery drives.

    I would probably have given the race a higher rating but later on it seemed to quieten down and the passes were mainly straight forward DRS moves.

  69. A lot of fun, rated it 9. More of that (and less DRS) please!

Comments are closed.