The delayed start to the Belgian Grand Prix hid an altogether different shame of a sport billed as the world’s pinnacle motorsport competition.

Had it been a dry race, or even one with a traditional standing start, the Spa-Francorchamps grid would have featured just 16 cars.

How a decades-old rule is ruining the show in modern F1

Rain in the moments before Sunday’s 44-lap affair was a blessing in disguise after four cars elected to start the race from the pit lane.

It would have left two lines of eight cars queued up waiting for the five red lights to extinguish, creating a rather sad ‘hero’ photo as the depleted pack raced towards La Source for the first time.

The argument surrounding the rights and wrongs of race control delaying the start in Belgium is beside the point in this cont

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