Formula One’s governing body on Sunday defended the conduct of the showcase Monaco Grand Prix after a rain delay of more than an hour, and a crash caused another lengthy stoppage.
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Some fans on social media were reacting sharply, questioning why the world’s top drivers can’t be left in wet conditions and recalling previous races in the torrentially-rained principality.
Mercedes’ seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who said after Saturday’s qualifying he hoped rain would mix things up, said he wanted to get back to racing.
“We are Formula One drivers, so it’s definitely not a good reason,” said the Briton, who said the delay was because there was no running practice on wet tyres earlier in the weekend.
“I was like, let’s go when it was just a little drizzle at the start. We’d talk about it at the drivers’ briefing but we should have started the race,” he said.
A spokesman for the governing FIA said a long second delay was caused by a power outage, knocking out the start system.
Decided to keep rolling start, rather than standing, as some drivers suffered damage from wet asphalt while others were on dry.
The stoppage after Mick Schumacher’s crash was for safety reasons, requiring repair of the barrier. The race was eventually shortened from 77 to 64 laps.
Formula One has two race directors after previous incumbent Michael Massi was ousted following a safety car dispute at the 2021 season-ender in Abu Dhabi that decided the outcome of the championship.
On Sunday, drivers did two formation laps behind a safety car before red flags were waved and the cars returned to the pits.
“It’s raining like crazy,” Ferrari pole-seater and local favorite Charles Leclerc said on team radio before the race director stopped.
The start was originally scheduled for 1500 local (1300GMT), but the formation was delayed to lap 1509, when the rain was not heavy, and then conditions deteriorated behind the 1516 safety car.
The race eventually started in 1605 local, with the field safety car doing another formation lap behind it.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, whose Mexican driver Sergio Pérez won the race with championship leader Max Verstappen, suggested they could leave at the appointed time.
However, it was right to stop it later, he said.
Monaco is famous for its lack of overtaking on narrow and winding roads but slippery conditions make the chances of a mistake much higher.
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