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ICYMI: Rubber ducks, cat-shaped horses and traffic jams all feature in the best social media from Spa
When it rains, it pours – as the F1 drivers, teams and fans found out in Belgium at the weekend. But the weather didn’t dampen everyone’s spirits, with plenty of banter on social media amongst the teams. Here are some of the best gems you might have missed from Spa-Francorchamps…
Code Name: Albono Powers
Quite why Alex Albon decided he needed to turn around in a small cart on a narrow road will remain a mystery, but the Thai driver's execution of his three-point turn may well have led to a driving test fail in most countries.
Logan Sargeant looked embarrassed to be associated with the travesty, which had Austin Powers written all over it.
Not the best start
Perhaps George Russell should have headed home when his pass didn't work at the start of a weekend he later described as "rubbish" and conceded he was glad was over. Mercedes will be glad he didn't, as he picked up valuable points for the team. At least he didn't manage to mix up the conditions and mistake the rain for anything else in Spa...
Good weather for...
Speaking of the rain, there was lots of it. It might have been raining cats and dogs, but in the pit lane it was all about the humble rubber duck. Valtteri Bottas has already told the world that ducks are suited to rainy days far more than F1 cars, and his team evidently agreed.
As for Mercedes, Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin could only describe conditions as 10/10. It was difficult to argue.
A bunch of racers?
Apparently, all that is missing at Haas – bar a points paying finish – is Guenther Steiner behind the wheel. Would the likeable Team Principal have made all the difference on Sunday? You can only imagine the radio messages – they would have made Max Verstappen's exchanges look tame.
International Friendship Day
Anytime Lando Norris, George Russell and Alex Albon get together, chaos normally ensues. They were on their best behaviour at the weekend, despite Albon and Norris having a battle out on the racetrack. But if you want wholesome content, this is where it was at in Spa for International Friendship Day.
Childhood dreams
Okay, it might have been the Sprint rather than a full Grand Prix, but who didn't like the heartwarming moment Oscar Piastri managed his first top three finish since joining the big, bad world of F1? His Dad was here to see it too, and it's clearly been a long time coming for a kid who grew up dreaming of F1.
Not in this garage
You have to be very brave to wear a rival's branding in the Red Bull garage, as this woman found out. Christian Horner wasn't allowing anyone to advertise the Prancing Horse on his turf, but Ferrari found a way to retaliate later on...
Traffic in Sector 1
There's nothing worse than minding your own business and getting honked whilst in traffic – and it's even worse when the culprit is your team mate. Carlos Sainz was clearly impatient to get going, but unfortunately he also picked up traffic when it came to Turn 1 in the Grand Prix proper...
Giddy up Horsey
This one played out on social media across the weekend, as a fan desperately tried to unite Alex Albon with a hand-knitted cat called Horsey, named after his own cat – nope, us neither. The fan in question managed to get her creation to the Williams driver, who looked genuinely stoked with the new addition to his family.
An unbroken streak
No, no – this isn't about Red Bull's winning run. This is all about the fact the team can't keep a trophy intact, despite having had plenty of practice in handling prizes this year. This time they can't even blame Lando Norris either, contriving to break one of their trophies of their own accord whilst celebrating.
Still, at least they still have some super glue on hand after the Hungarian mishap.
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