1. Belgian GP 2021: lasted 3 minutes and 27 seconds
The intense downpour that began to fall minutes before the start of the 12th round of the 2021 Formula 1 season caused it to be delayed 25 minutes in search of a more favorable weather window.
But after running two formation laps behind the Safety Car, the red flag was waved at Spa-Francorchamps and the cars lined up in the pitlane . They remained there for the next three hours, since the rain did not let up.
In the midst of some boos from the fans, tired of waiting, at 18:27 local time they proceeded to start behind the safety car, but after two complete laps and another return to the pits, the red flag waved from new.
Race direction ended the appointment a few minutes later due to the lack of light and the continuity of the rain, making it the shortest race in the history of F1 and one of its most embarrassing episodes. Max Verstappen, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton all took the podium as no one was able to gain (or lose) positions following the Safety Car .
2. 1991 Australian GP: lasted 24 minutes and 34 seconds
Despite the fact that a very strong storm fell for a few hours in Adelaide, the start of the 1991 Australian Grand Prix was given with a track in conditions that were borderline acceptable. The precaution of the pilots made them think that there would be no accident.
However, the curtain of water that the pilots faced and the rain that intensified quickly caused a multitude of incidents. The asphalt was filled with the remains of parts and damaged cars. After the departures of Nigel Mansell and Gerhard Berger, Ayrton Senna went to ask the stewards to stop the race.
The test was stopped on lap 17 of 81 . Conditions did not improve during the red flag and some drivers were opposed to it being restarted. The race ended like this and the classification that was considered valid was that of lap 14. Ayrton Senna won and the pilots did not give more than 52 of the 306 kilometers that they had to give.
3. Spanish GP 1975: lasted 42 minutes and 53 seconds
The 1975 Spanish GP began under unusual conditions: the drivers announced a strike before the first practice sessions after an inspection at the Montjuic circuit (Barcelona) revealed that the safety barriers were in very poor condition. After improvised repairs carried out largely by the crews themselves and threats of seizure by the authorities, the pilots, for the most part, fulfilled their obligation.
On Sunday morning the race began on a track that was already dangerous, but highly appreciated by the fans. The start of the event was marked by several incidents , including the collision of the Ferraris at the start. Against all odds, it was Embassy Hill’s Rolf Stommelen who was leading the race going into lap 26.
But then came the drama : the rear wing of the leader’s car came off and the driver was ejected in the Stadium area, on the curve behind the pitlane straight. After hitting the safety rail on the left of the track, the car ended up against the tide of people at that point, killing five people . Stommelen suffered numerous fractures, but did not die. And in the face of chaos, the organizers went three laps to interrupt the race. He finished 29th out of a planned 75 laps . Jochen Mass was declared the winner and the accident marked the end of Montjuïc in Formula 1.
4. Malaysian GP 2009: lasted 55 minutes and 30 seconds
The 2009 Malaysian GP race started on a completely dry track, but under the threat of a major storm. The first 20 laps went by without a single drop of rain, with Nico Rosberg (Williams) ahead of Jarno Trulli ( Toyota ) and Jenson Button ( Brawn ) before the first stops. The top two entered on lap 15 and Button was able to regain the lead.
But things started to go wrong on lap 20: the sky opened up and the track was wet in places. Most of the drivers were on wet tyres, but Timo Glock (Toyota) went for the intermediates and started to be much faster than the rest. He even got first when Button decided to pit for the intermissions. However, the rain would end up intensifying on lap 30.
The downpour was great and the cars could not continue on the track. The safety car came out, but they immediately put out the red flag. Race direction waited about 50 minutes to announce that the grand prix was definitely over. After less than an hour and with 31 laps completed , victory went to Button.
5. 1975 Austrian GP: lasted 57 minutes and 56 seconds
After a violent storm hit the Österreichring circuit, the start was postponed for 45 minutes to wait for conditions to improve. Then, the drivers went out on a wet track and, for the most part, with cars not regulated for rain.
And then came the Vittorio Brambilla show: the Italian, piloting his March Orange , was incredibly aggressive and with formidable efficiency. In 18 laps he came back and took first place ahead of James Hunt. He kept rolling at an incredible pace and ran away from his rivals. By lap 25, he was already 20 seconds ahead of the Brit.
But the rain came again! The conditions were daunting and the drivers who abandoned asked the race management to end the race. It was done on lap 29 , when the checkered flag waved before a Brambilla so happy to have won that he dropped his hand on the steering wheel, losing control of his March and ending up against the wall, doing the lap of honor with the damaged car (in the photo).
6. Monaco GP 1984: lasted one hour, one minute and seven seconds (1h01:07s)
After having its start delayed by twenty minutes due to rain, the Monegasque race got underway. But it didn’t last too long. After 24 laps, only nine drivers remained on the track. Alain Prost was leading, but the rain was getting heavier and visibility was getting dimmer.
Behind the Frenchman, two drivers were causing a sensation: Ayrton Senna , driving a Toleman, and Stefan Bellof , driving a Tyrrell. The Brazilian and his team had bet that it would be a race that would not finish all the laps and they did not refuel. And he was closing in on Prost very quickly.
But conditions worsened and Prost began calling for the grand prix to be stopped. Jacky Ickx , race director, decided to bring out the red flag and then the checkered flag on lap 32 . Senna passed Prost and believed he had won, but the classification that was taken into account was that of the lap before the interruption. Toleman’s young driver was “only” second. It is one of the most controversial races in history because many consider that they stole the victory from Senna.
7. 1978 Italian GP: lasted one hour, seven minutes and four seconds (1h07:04)
The start of the 1978 Italian Grand Prix came before all the drivers on the grid had stopped in position (only two were already well placed). That caused the peloton to tighten up and the straight leading to the first corner to become a funnel.
What seemed like it was going to happen happened, that there was a multiple accident. Ronnie Peterson was among them (Hunt had crashed into him), and he would end up against the security barriers.
Filled with petrol , the Swede’s car quickly caught fire after being rammed by Vittorio Brambilla and released an impressive cloud of black smoke. All the cars in the accident stopped and several ran to the Lotus to help Peterson.
Peterson, with fractures to both legs , appeared to have avoided the worst, with attention turning to Vittorio Brambilla, who had been hit by a tire in the helmet and suffered a fractured skull. Three hours after the carom, shortly after 6:00 p.m., the race resumed for around 40 laps , and Niki Lauda won. Mario Andretti was proclaimed World Champion, but the joy for Lotus would be short-lived: the next day, after his condition worsened due to his terrible accident, Ronnie Peterson died in the Milan hospital.
8. Belgian GP 2001: lasted one hour, eight minutes and five seconds (1h08:05)
After aborting the first start after Heinz-Harald Frentzen crashed his Prost, a second took place. However, the race was quickly interrupted by an incident between Eddie Irvine ‘s Jaguar and Luciano Burti ‘s second Prost.
The concern for Burti, seen the images, was great. Prost’s driver was on the inside at Blanchimont and the Irishman closed, touching and causing Burti to lose his front wing. The Brazilian crashed violently into the tire barriers. Irvine, worried about what he saw when he got out of his car and perhaps feeling guilty, helped to assist the pilot. Unconscious, Burti’s extraction lasted half an hour.
The race was eventually resumed for 36 laps and ended in victory for Michael Schumacher. Burti suffered a concussion from the accident and never competed again.
9. Italian GP 2003: lasted one hour, 14 minutes and 19 seconds (1h14:19)
The 2003 Italian Grand Prix was the fastest race that was not stopped. He had almost no incidents, but we explain his presence on this list.
The Formula 1 cars of the mid-2000s, with their V10 engines, were monsters of speed, and that was combined with the straights and wide fast sections of Monza. In qualifying the best lap was completed in 1:20.9, and in the race it took less than an hour and a quarter to complete the 53 laps.
It was Michael Schumacher who took victory in that event, averaging an astonishing 247.585km/h, which is still the highest for a Formula 1 race.
10. Italian GP 2014: lasted one hour, 14 minutes and 28 seconds (1h14:28)
And in second place for the highest averages, we find the 2005 Italian GP ! Here again the V10s were largely to blame, and again there were few incidents during the race.
Starting from pole, Juan Pablo Montoya had to hold off Fernando Alonso’s attacks throughout the race, but ended up winning. The Colombian took his sixth victory with an average of 247.097 km/h.
How long does a Formula 1 race last? This is what the regulation says
The duration of a Formula 1 race , according to the regulations, is marked by the number of laps of each grand prix. But, if after three hours not all the laps have been completed, the race will be considered finished.
However, on special occasions it is not necessary to reach three hours of time, or even 75% of completed laps. The sporting code refers to these cases in its article 50.1, which speaks of the suspension of a race due to a red flag:
“If competitors or stewards are in physical danger from cars on the track and the race director considers that the circumstances are such that it is not possible to continue racing safely, even behind the safety car, the race will be will suspend”.
“The circuit will be filled with red flags, the pitlane exit will be closed and all cars must slowly make their way back into the pitlane .”
Later, in article 51.14, the following appears:
“If the race cannot be resumed, the results that will be taken into account will be those from the end of the penultimate lap before the lap during which the race was suspended.”
There are many cases in the history of Formula 1 in which races have ended prematurely, and here we collect the shortest. Races for which the red flag was shown and then could not be resumed, or they did so but exceeded the four total hours established by the regulations.
Rain, accidents and other setbacks prevented the normal and complete celebration of the grand prize. And also races where nothing remarkable happened… but they were held in Monza.
