Alfa Romeo slates Belgian GP handling that "hurts fans of the sport"

Alfa Romeo has slated the handling of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix after a result was declared following just two laps behind the safety car.

The F1 team is the latest to add its voice to the growing chorus of criticism that has followed the events that took place at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, with half points awarded for two laps of running behind the safety car.

An Alfa Romeo statement read: "A huge thank you to all the incredible fans that spent hours in the elements for the race to start: with your patience and determination, you are the true Drivers of the Day.

"For months, we have been looking forward to having the stands full of fans supporting our team and our sport: unfortunately, we weren't able to put up a show for you yesterday.

"The decision not to race in these conditions was the right one, in the interest of protecting the safety of the drivers, the marshals and the spectators themselves.

"However, the situation would have been dealt with a lot more appropriately by not having at all the 'race' we witnessed yesterday: this outcome hurts us all, but in particular it hurts fans of the sport, who didn't get the show they came to see."

After George Russell qualified second for Williams, the Briton scored nine points to further extend his team's gap over Alfa Romeo in the constructors' standings.

Neither Antonio Giovinazzi nor Kimi Raikkonen had started inside the top 10.

"We hope lessons were learnt yesterday, lessons that will improve the way we operate in the future and that put the supporters of our sport in the position they deserve to be," the statement continued.

"Once again, our genuine thanks go to all the fans - you were the ones to truly shine yesterday in Spa."

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