Formula One was engulfed by farce at the Belgian Grand Prix today as the race was red-flagged after just the formation lap – despite rain having stopped.

There was no standing water on the Spa track but visibility was admittedly poor.

The Sunday crowd among a weekend attendance of 389,000 watched on in the cold and wet as the millionaire drivers retreated to the sanctuary of their dry garages.

The ‘race’ was suspended, and it remained in the balance whether it would restart at all as rain began to fall again in Spa. The rules allow a three-hour window to stage the race – up to 5pm BST – leaving officials nervously checking the forecast.

An FIA spokesman said: ‘We anticipate the rain will stop at 16.00 (3pm BST). We will then target a start as soon as the standing water has been cleared from the track.’

But the sun then came out and the FIA announced that the race was due to ‘restart’ at 3.20pm.

Max Verstappen looked unimpressed as he waited under a Red Bull umbrella in the pit lane, having slammed the red flag decision as ‘silly’ over team radio

A marshal waves the red flag at Spa just moments after the formation lap, with race control citing poor visibility despite the rain having stopped

Pole-sitter Lando Norris backed the delay, saying visibility was a major issue even behind the safety car – despite enjoying the clearest track view

Max Verstappen, the defending world champion, was furious with the initial decision to halt the race.

The Red Bull man said over the team radio: ‘That’s a bit silly. We should just run, like chillax. Jesus.

‘They’re way too cautious. And now the rain is coming, the heavy rain. It’s going to be a three-hour delay.’

Bizarrely, pole man Lando Norris, the only competitor who need not have been worried about the spray, wanted the cessation. He said: ‘They (conditions) are not ideal. I can’t see a lot behind the safety car so I can’t imagine what it is like for everyone else.’

He later said: ‘Visibility (is the problem). The standing water is not too bad.’

His McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri said at 3.25pm, 25 minutes after the scheduled start that he had been told there would be a 30 to 40-minute delay.

The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix was a farce – just two laps behind the safety car owing to constant rain. It was the sport’s shortest-ever grand prix.

Crucial to drying the track is 20 F1 cars going round it. Will the penny drop at the FIA’s race control?