Belgian GP 2021: compensation offers are not unanimous

Is it the approach of Christmas that pushed the organizers of the Belgian Grand Prix to communicate, and again on the sly?

Several of the 75 spectators present at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit for the 000 edition of the Belgian event (August 2021-27) thus received an offer of compensation after the sad spectacle offered by the F1 in the Ardennes at the start of the school year.

The sport had in fact been drowned in the showers and the hypothetical wait for a clearing that never came. A mock race was indeed launched behind the Safety Car, but after two laps the final red flag was raised.

The results were still approved (and half points awarded!), Max Verstappen (Red Bull) winning in front of George Russell (Williams), And Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) after only one lap counted!

It was a hard pill to swallow for the 75 fans present, who had to wait hours in the cold and in the rain in the hope of seeing a Formula 000 Grand Prix. They did not take long to express their dissatisfaction and have been waiting for a gesture from the promoters.

The latter have finally gotten closer to them, at least in part because at the time of writing these lines, certain aggrieved spectators had not received any official communication. Would the organizers even have offered a gesture to those who officially complained?

Fans will not be refunded but have been offered an annual subscription to F1 TV Pro, the official streaming service which broadcasts all F1 sessions live, as well as the F2 and F3.

Offered at 64,99 euros in France, the service is however not available to everyone since the platform is geo-blocked in certain territories, typically the United Kingdom, to avoid head-on competition with the country's official broadcaster. in question (Sky Sports in Great Britain).

Spectators will also be able to participate in an exclusive event organized on Thursday August 25, 2022... but they will still have to be present at Spa-Francorchamps during the 2022 edition of the Belgian GP!

Finally, contacted fans will be entered into a large draw which will allow only 170 of them to win an upgraded ticket compared to the category of their 2021 ticket.

On the internet, reactions were quick to emerge.

« I will never return to Spa again, criticizes for example this Dutch Internet user. It's one of my favorite circuits but the organization is just terrible ».

This Max Verstappen fan, who had spent 550 euros, especially regrets not having received an apology after having to walk 1h30 from the parking lot due to a visibly incomplete shuttle system.

Other spectators were more nuanced in their reaction. This is the case of this French fan, who heard about the compensation offers but has not (yet) received an email from the circuit.

« There is a rather profitable gesture just with the F1 TV subscription even though it was not obligatory, she philosophizes. Ce n’était de la faute de personne et il y a eu de la F3 et de la Porsche Supercup ».

It is indeed difficult for promoters to offer full reimbursement for 3-day passes, for example, when Friday and Saturday were able to take place without too much problem, despite unpredictable weather.

In this story, we have the impression that the organizers found themselves cornered by the FOM, which was able to collect its usual fees since the race technically took place.

Stefano Domenicali, CEO of the F1 Group, assured on the evening of the non-GP that financial factors had not come into play that Sunday.

At that price, Santa Claus probably exists.