
The only element of F1's Spa travesty really worth celebrating
The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix will go down as a dark moment in Formula 1 history. But there were a few bright spots amongst all the doom and gloom. One concerned one of motorsport’s most-storied squads, which is also providing a feel-good factor to 2021 overall.
Trying to connect the words '2021 Belgian Grand Prix' with 'celebration' is an exercise fraught with peril. Really, very little about the weekend was worth celebrating after the washout led to a one-lap ‘race’ behind the safety car.
It utterly undid the fine actions Formula 1 witnessed the day before – from pole-winner Max Verstappen and his shock front-row companion George Russell.

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.
A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.
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