The sprint race for F2 at the Belgian Grand Prix has been delayed due to severe rainfall at Spa-Francorchamps.
Similar to the F3 sprint race at Silverstone, which also faced postponement due to rain, the 18-lap event has been rescheduled to occur after Formula 1 qualifying, with a new start time of 18:15 local time.
In this partially reversed-grid race, ART driver Zak O’Sullivan was slated to begin from pole position, with MP Motorsport’s Dennis Hauger alongside him in the front row.
Having recorded the fastest qualifying time, championship contender Paul Aron (Hitech) would usually be expected to start in 10th; however, due to two five-place grid penalties from the previous race in Hungary, he was relegated to 20th position.
Other competitors Gabriel Bortoleto (Invicta) and points leader Isack Hadjar (Campos) were originally to line up in ninth and eighth places, respectively.
The decision to postpone was made after a 50-minute wait to start the race, during which the 22-car grid remained in the pitlane as the safety car sat on the start straight.
After about 40 minutes of delay, and following the clearing of significant standing water from the track by tractors, Bernd Maylander took a lap in the safety car, but conditions were still unsafe for racing.
The last time F2 had a race canceled was in 2021 at the Russian Grand Prix, also due to heavy rain. This incident occurred during the middle of a trio of races, with F2 adhering to a distinct schedule.
