Hamilton inherits victory in Belgium from teammates

One and a half kilos cost George Russell his surprising Formula 1 victory in Belgium and helped world champion Lewis Hamilton to his 105th career victory. The mandatory test after the strategy thriller in Spa-Francorchamps showed that Russell’s car with number 63 was too light. The minimum weight of a Formula 1 car is 798 kilograms. Russell’s car weighed only 796.5 kilograms. The race stewards eventually disqualified the young Englishman.

“During the hearing, the team representative confirmed that the measurement was correct and that all necessary procedures had been carried out correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that this was a genuine error by the team,” read the statement from the stewards, who were informed of the incident by the technical delegate.

1.5 kilograms too little

What an aftermath! After what was essentially a masterful performance by tire whisperer Russell, Mercedes also missed out on a double success. The newcomers in the rankings around Hamilton ultimately benefited from it. “We have to accept the disqualification with calm,” said team boss Toto Wolff after the weight verdict. “We clearly made a mistake and we have to make sure we learn from it.”

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen could only watch the exciting spectacle at the front from a distance and involuntarily extended his dry spell. Despite catching up after a penalty, the Red Bull star missed out on success for the fourth time in a row in fourth place. In the last Grand Prix before the summer break, Verstappen managed to extend his lead in the championship over McLaren man Lando Norris to 78 points, as he finished directly behind the Belgian-born Dutchman.

In atypical summer conditions in the Ardennes, Russell raced a risky one-stop strategy across the finish line with a razor-thin lead of 0.5 seconds over Hamilton, but ultimately his car had to carry less ballast than his rivals. Norris’s stable rival Oscar Piastri, who celebrated his debut success in Hungary a week ago, finished second ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.

But not Mercedes’ first double success since 2022

Mercedes team boss Wolff blew ‘tyre whisperer’ into the pit radio after Russell’s apparent second win of the season and the Silver Arrows’ long-awaited first double since Brazil 2022. “Fantastic result. I definitely did not predict this win in our strategy session this morning,” said Russell as he gleefully raised his trophy and felt like a winner for a few hours. “The car felt fantastic.”

After starting 11th, Verstappen was unable to fulfil his dream of a fourth consecutive Spa win. His Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, who was on the verge of retirement, started from the front row for the first time since the race in China in April, but ultimately failed to make a case for a permanent contract in seventh place. “Not a top race, but a good race. Of course we are no longer the fastest,” said Verstappen. He ‘maximised everything’.

“We are a bit disappointed, we expected more,” admitted Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, before praising the grand prix winner: “That was incredible from Russell. For Nico Hulkenberg, nothing was possible this weekend.” The Haas veteran started 16th and finished the 14th race of the season in 18th place.

At Red Bull, things are “more Netflix-like” at the moment.

Red Bull’s former dominance is gone. Sebastian Vettel’s former racing team is aware of this. But Verstappen showed his extra class in qualifying. He clearly distanced Leclerc as his first pursuer (+0.595 seconds). However, because Verstappen was already using his fifth engine of the year against the rules on the 7.004 kilometre longest circuit on the calendar, he had to move back ten places. Leclerc was awarded the 25th pole of his career.

“We were used to being at the front, today it’s different,” admits Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko. Also due to the many construction sites far away from the asphalt, such as Verstappen’s much-discussed ongoing bullying of his own team in Hungary recently, the Austrian said: “This year it’s more Netflix-like for us.”

The situation surrounding Perez also plays a major role in this. The Mexican has had a contract until the end of 2025 since the beginning of June, and there is also the possibility of another season. But after a strong start this year, Perez has faded more and more. The 34-year-old is threatened with retirement during the Formula 1 holiday.

Verstappen’s “race to limit damage”

“That’s not enough,” Marko said on the TV channel Sky. “On Monday evening we will sit in England and analyze.” According to Marko, Red Bull substitute Liam Lawson (22) as well as Daniel Ricciardo (35) and Yuki Tsunoda (24) from the sister team are responsible for the “theoretical case” of releasing Racing Bulls ready.

After a tough duel, Perez had to let Lewis Hamilton pass in the Mercedes after the first few meters. At the start of the second lap, Verstappen was already in eighth place, directly behind his championship pursuer Norris. The McLaren man again did not get off to an optimal start in fourth place and drove in a wide arc over the track markings. In the meantime, Hamilton took over the lead from Leclerc.

Verstappen was faced with a dilemma. The Dutchman wanted to put pressure on, but at the same time he couldn’t wear out his tires. “I see it as a race to limit the damage,” said Verstappen and brought his pit stop forward, but then ended up in traffic in fourteenth place.

The 26-year-old continued to work his way into the top three, however. At half-time, Verstappen had only Russell in the second Mercedes, McLaren driver Piastri, Leclerc and leader Hamilton ahead of him. Leclerc opened the ranks of the top drivers, who had the next set of hard tyres fitted during a second pit stop. Hamilton responded shortly afterwards. His teammate Russell remained at the top, however, and eventually beat the competition. At least that was how it looked long before his company car had to be weighed.