A repeat of 2021 at the Belgian Grand Prix?

The Belgian Grand Prix was rained off last season.

Before last season, the mention of rain at Spa would have encouraged excited reactions and gleeful faces.

The mind goes back to the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix for example; the crash at the start was not pleasant for anyone to watch, but the incident between Michael Schumacher was an iconic moment that will last long in the memory after the German stormed down the pit lane to try and fight the McLaren driver.

More recently, we were treated to a thrilling end to the 2008 race, which Felipe Massa won after Kimi Raikkonen crashed and Sir Lewis Hamilton was penalised for an illegal overtake on the Finn.

Now though, rain in Stavelot is associated with something a little more worrying; a possibility that there may be no race at all.

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Indeed, August tends to be one of Belgium’s wettest months, as storms sweep in, clearing away the muggy atmosphere created by weeks of sun and heat.

A wet qualifying, which saw Lando Norris take a trip to the hospital after a crash, was followed by an extremely wet Sunday.

While Formula 3 and the Porsche Supercup races were able to run, the main event was suspended due to the sheer amount of standing water on the track.

Sergio Perez had crashed his Red Bull on the way to the grid, and the initial formation laps behind the Safety Car revealed the extent of the shocking visibility.

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During hours of delays, the only entertainment could be found in Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher playing football, while Daniel Ricciardo put his performance coach, Michael Italiano in a chokehold, and Norris took a nap.

Eventually, the drivers headed out again to complete two laps behind the Safety Car, and this fulfilled a sufficient race distance for half points to be awarded.

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Fans were left heartbroken after they had paid large sums of money to be at the race, only for it to be a non-event as Max Verstappen’s pole position gave him the win, while George Russell’s special lap saw him finish second ahead of Hamilton.

This weekend, rain is expected on Friday, and this will continue into the night and perhaps the early hours of Saturday morning.

However, the water will clear up in time for qualifying, where there are temperatures of 20 Degrees Celsius and a seven percent chance of rain.

We are set for a sunnier one on Sunday, with temperatures reaching 20 again, and a two percent chance of rain is coupled by 50 percent humidity, making for a pleasant afternoon of racing.

So, a repeat of last year? Almost certainly not; we might even get some racing this time!