Red Bull team principal Mekies saw how Verstappen became the victim of an FIA decision

Verstappen immediately said that the race could have started much earlier. After the conclusion of the Belgian Grand Prix, the newly-appointed team principal, Mekies, told the same story too. Speaking to GPBlog and others, he said, "We are all surprised, I believe, by how late we have started the race. I'm sure the FIA had its own considerations, but certainly for us, as a team, it surprised us because fundamentally we waited not only for the rain to stop, but also for pretty much the sun to come out and then we still had many laps behind the safety car."

Red Bull and Verstappen opted for a setup with more downforce during the qualifying to benefit from the race in wet conditions. However, the delay went on until the track eventually dried, and the Austrian team's strategy went down the drain. “I don't think we would have changed anything even if parc fermé was open. Because we were expecting to go back on track much earlier than what we actually did."