Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen questioned race control's handling of the rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday as rival drivers commended Formula One's governing body for putting safety first.

Lewis Hamilton’s Belgian GP weekend got off to the worst possible start as the seven-time World Champion suffered a shock elimination in SQ1 for the Sprint event. It marked the first time since the introduction of the Sprint format that a Ferrari driver had failed to progress past the opening session — an unwanted record Hamilton certainly did not expect to own.

The Belgian Grand Prix took a lot longer than usual as heavy rain forced a long delay at the start of the race, leaving Max Verstappen in particular unhappy with that decision