Leclerc satisfied with decision to delay the start of the Spa F1 race

Having secured a third-place finish at the Belgian Grand Prix, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc claims that he was satisfied with the decision to delay the start of the race due to heavy rainfall.

The start of the Belgian Grand Prix was delayed by over an hour due to heavy rain, with cars having to head back to the pitlane after completing the formation lap behind the safety car.

After an 80-minute delay, the F1 field headed out onto the Spa-Francorchamps, the SC led the field for four laps before the FIA opted for a rolling start in response to the damp conditions, instead of the usual standing start from the grid.

Asked about the procedure and the decision to delay the start of the Spa-Francorchamps race, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was left to praise the race direction to prioritize safety.

"I think it's always fine-tuning. On a track like this with what happened historically, I think you cannot forget about it. For that reason, I'd rather be safe than too early.

"It's a constant discussion, and we'll probably feed the people that made this decision back that maybe it was a little bit on the late side, but I wouldn't have changed anything."

Race winner Oscar Piastri gave a similar feedback, claiming that visibility was a real concern as he could hardy see anything behind his team-mate Lando Norris on the formation lap.

"I think the past few years, particularly here, we've given the FIA feedback that we would much rather be on the safe side than risk anything. I think that's what we did today. If you were to be picky, maybe we could have done one less formation lap.

"But in the grand scheme of things, if that's one lap too early, is it worth it? No. Also, us three are the worst people to ask because we have the least amount of cars in front of us.

"For someone at the back, the first time we tried to start the race, even for myself with just Lando ahead, I couldn't see a thing. You can only imagine what it's like for the guys at the back.

"That's always a tough thing to balance because the guys at the front have an easier time than the guys at the back," concluded the Australian.