The world of motorsport has been stunned by a bizarre Belgian Grand Prix that played out in unusual circumstances.
Heavy rain delayed the start of the race, with officials issuing a red flag after the drivers completed a formation lap behind the safety car.
Once an F1 grand prix starts, it has a window of three hours in which the race must be completed.
As drivers twiddled their thumbs in their garages and fans got drenched trackside, it was hoped there would be a break from the rain and the race would be able to resume.
But as time began to run out and the race clock ticked down, race officials decided to stop the clock to give themselves more time for the weather to ease.
The downpour continued and the race was delayed for two hours and 52 minutes until it was finally announced the race would resumed.
However, the hope was short-lived as the cars once again drove behind the safety car for two laps in order to complete the minimum number required for classification points to be awarded, before the race was red flagged by race director Michael Masi.
With a slippery track and extremely poor visibility, it was just too dangerous for the race to continue.
Ultimately, Max Verstappen’s pole position was enough for him to secure the most anticlimactic victory of his career in what was the shortest race in F1 history.
With the drivers holding their positions from qualifying, Williams’ George Russell finished second to claim his first ever podium finish, while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton was third.
Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo was rewarded for his superb qualifying effort with fourth place — his best result so far at McLaren.
The top 10 drivers were awarded half the normal amount of points because they had completed more than two laps but less than 75 per cent of the original race distance.
It’s only the sixth time in F1 history half points have been awarded.
Fans were disappointed the race fizzled out in such an underwhelming manner.
Belgian Grand Prix Top 10
1st: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2nd: George Russell (Williams)
3rd: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
4th: Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
5th: Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin)
6th: Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
7th: Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
8th: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
9th: Nicholas Latifi (Williams)
10th: Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- News.com.au