Hakkinen: 'If someone was hurt, we'd be having a very different discussion'

After the dramatic weekend at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit with the race postponed for hours, everyone has an opinion about the actions of the FIA. In his column for Unibet Mika Hakkinen gives his view on the decision to cancel the race.

"I know that I have a reputation as a ‘flat out’ racing driver. I have always enjoyed taking that approach in Formula One or any other form of racing. However I am also a big supporter of making the right decisions for reasons of safety, so I believe the FIA’s Race Director Michael Masi made the right decision not to proceed with a full race in Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday", Hakkinen began in his column.

"We really need to consider what might have happened if a full race had taken place and someone, whether a driver or spectator, had been injured - or worse - as a result. In that case we would be having a very different discussion about the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix."

It was too dangerous

Hakkinen names among others his first teammate Ayrton Senna, whose death made a big impression on him. Jules Bianchi's fatal accident also made a big impression, one of the factors of which was a drying track with large puddles of water. "When a car aquaplanes you have zero control - no brakes, no steering - and this is one of the reasons why the heavy rain at Spa all day on Sunday made the conditions so dangerous. When the rain does not stop the track has no chance to drain."

There were several accidents during the Spa weekend, including the violent W Series crash and Lando Norris ' serious accident during qualifying. "While I understand that the FIA and Spa have further plans to improve the safety at Eau Rouge and Raidillon, there is nothing that the authorities can do to stop heavy rain. They can only look at all the available information and try to make the best decision in the interests of everyone, starting with protecting the lives of competitors."

Despite thinking the decision was the right one, Hakkinen did feel sorry for the fans present. "I feel extremely sorry for all the fans who attended the event. We have spent 18 months waiting for fans to return to Formula One, so this was really disappointing."