This was supposed to be the “Summer of George.”
George Russell fended off teammate Lewis Hamilton to win the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday with Mercedes heading into the summer break on the high of a 1-2 finish.
Or so it seemed. Just over two hours after crossing the finish line and celebrating on the podium, Russell was disqualified for having an underweight car. Hamilton inherited the victory, his record-extending 105th of his career, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri now finishing second and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third.
Mercedes and Russell will now have four weeks to dwell on the DQ and what should have been their first 1-2 finish since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Winless all through last year and scraping for points to start 2024, Mercedes have now won three of the past four races and the weekend looked like a microcosm of their turnaround season.
The team brought upgrades to Spa but after a miserable pair of practice sessions Friday — Hamilton called the car a “disaster” while talking to Sky F1 commentator Guenther Steiner after the race — the team switched back to older parts.
Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff said in a statement there are many positives to take from the weekend despite the DQ.
“We had a car that was the benchmark in today’s race across two different strategies,” Wolff said. “Only a few months ago, that would have been inconceivable. … We will look to come back after shutdown rejuvenated and with the aim of maintaining our positive trajectory.”
It seemed like it was Hamilton’s race to win anyway and not only because the number of laps (44) coincided with his car’s number. Hamilton, third on the grid, jumped Sergio Perez for second place at the start heading into the first hairpin at La Source and maintained the pace running up that hill over Eau Rouge. Pole-sitter (and future Ferrari teammate) Leclerc was no match for Hamilton, who slingshot ahead on Lap 3 with the slipstream and DRS down the Kemmel straight.
Russell, who started sixth, moved up into the lead during the second pit window as he opted to stay out on a one-stop strategy and keep his hard tires until the end.
Although Hamilton was rushing with a fresher set of tires, Mercedes did not issue team orders and let their drivers settle it out on the track.
Hamilton erased a seven-second deficit to close within DRS (drag reduction system) range with five laps to go. Even with the extra boost, Hamilton couldn’t find the speed to overtake his teammate and crossed the line half a second behind Russell. Both drivers were also under pressure from Piastri, who was only 0.647 seconds back of Hamilton.
MCLAREN CLOSES GAP TO RED BULL
Championship leaders Red Bull were shut out from the champagne celebration for the second consecutive weekend as Max Verstappen finished fourth while teammate Sergio Perez came in seventh. Verstappen has gone four races without a win — the longest “drought” of his career since 2020.
When a track has a history dating back to the 1920s, there are sure to be some similarities here and there over the years but you don’t have to dig too far to see some repetition. This was the third consecutive year Verstappen was the fastest in qualifying, handed pole position to a Ferrari driver due to a grid penalty and Perez started second. That’s where the coincidences end as this one didn’t result in another 1-2 Red Bull finish.
We knew it was going to be an uphill battle for Verstappen — and not just to the top of Eau Rouge — as he started 11th after receiving a 10-place grid penalty for changes to his power unit that exceeded his allotment. However, we’ve seen Verstappen charge like a (red) bull through the field before at Spa when he started 14th in 2022 and was already in the lead by Lap 12.
The competition has tightened in the two years since and Verstappen didn’t even come close to the lead on Lap 12 this time.
The three-time reigning world champion did hold off main title contender Lando Norris with the McLaren driver finishing right behind him in fifth. Norris started fourth but he struggled once again at the start as he ran into the gravel at La Source hairpin and lost three places off the bat.
Perez has proven no match for the McLaren cars, but he did snag the fastest lap bonus point right at the end as Red Bull are going to need every point they can get. McLaren (363) have cut the deficit down to 43 points behind Red Bull (406). To note, teams can earn up to 44 points (finish 1-2 and earn the fastest lap bonus) during a regular Grand Prix weekend.
Verstappen (277 points) still has a firm grip on the drivers’ standings with a 78-point lead over Norris (199).
Ten races remain following the summer break with the action resuming at Verstappen’s home Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 25.
MAXIMUM EFFORT
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were sporting a special Deadpool & Wolverine livery this weekend as Deadpool actor (and proud Canadian) Ryan Reynolds holds an ownership stake in the team. Did anyone else wonder if the seats had rich Corinthian leather?
Ocon was under pressure for Daniel Ricciardo due to a pit stop undercut but managed to hold off the RB car to finish 10th in the final points-paying position. The French driver doubled his points, from one to two, as he was promoted to ninth following Russell’s DQ. Maximum effort.
Alpine’s cars might not have a regenerative healing factor — just ask Gasly, who retired early during the previous two races — but Ocon’s career sure does. After Alpine announced they would be parting ways with him at the end of the season, Ocon found himself a new ride with Haas for 2025. Like a merc with a mouth, Ocon will race for his fifth different team (not counting those he served as a test driver) and oddly enough it’ll be the third time he takes over Nico Hulkenberg’s seat. Life is a mystery (OK, that’s enough Deadpool references).
PIT STOPS
• Piastri lost precious time during his second pit stop as he came in hot and his car overshot the box. McLaren’s front wheel jack sure felt that impact.
• Ricciardo also had a unique helmet at the Belgian GP for Ricallen. In case you haven’t seen “The Legend of Ricallen,” besties Ricciardo and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen take their bromance to the next level by purchasing a racehorse. Hilarity ensues, of course. Ricciardo posted pictures of his shiny new lid on his Instagram story.
• One of the quirks of F1 is how grid penalties stack. RB’s Yuki Tsunoda received a 60-place grid penalty, yes 60, for all of the new power unit elements to his car. No, he didn’t have to start that far back on the track (or from all the way in the Netherlands) as he slotted 20th on the grid. Tsunoda finished 16th, which would have been worth applauding if he had actually gained 44 positions.
• Nice to see the drivers take the FIA’s request to stop swearing on the radio seriously. Not. “Hello?! What the ****,” Verstappen exclaimed as Zhou Guanyu impeded him during Q1 Saturday. Zhou, who qualified last anyway, received a three-place grid penalty but actually moved up to 19th due to Tsunoda’s aforementioned infraction.
• After the Hungarian Grand Prix wrapped up last weekend, Formula E held their season finale in London with former F1 driver Pascal Wehrlein capturing the world championship. Hopefully, that’ll finally earn him an invitation to Sebastian Vettel’s birthday party.