In a surprising turn of events at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps, the victory was claimed by George Russell, with his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton, securing the second position; resulting in a remarkable one-two for Mercedes. The audacious decision by Russell to attempt a one-stop strategy paid off in extraordinary fashion. Oscar Piastri landed a third-place finish for McLaren, followed by Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in fourth. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen managed to rise from the 11th position on the grid to secure fifth, beating his championship contender, Lando Norris, who finished sixth.
In a nail-biting finale, Russell, sporting older tyres, skilfully managed to ward off an aggressive challenge from Hamilton who had opted for two stops. This triumph marks the pinnacle of Russell’s career, demonstrating his calm temperament and impeccable skill under mounting pressure.
Although Verstappen showed a commendable recovery, Norris’s performance will likely be a source of disappointment, as the world champion further extended his championship lead over Norris to an impressive 78 points.
For Russell, this third career win, and the third in four races for Mercedes, is testament to his excellence and the performance of his team. The 26-year-old from King’s Lynn may have stumbled upon his win in Austria, following a collision between Norris and Verstappen, but he more than earned this victory. In a race where every move was executed with exemplary precision under intense pressure, both Russell and Mercedes showcased their best form, securing their first one-two since Brazil in 2022.
Despite starting from sixth on the grid, Russell defied expectations to become the champion of the day. Hamilton led the initial stages comfortably after surpassing Leclerc, and Piastri ascended to the third rank following the initial series of stops.
During the 44-lap race, Russell pulled over early on the 10th lap while the forerunners clashed in the lead. As the race advanced, he began to experience an increase in traction and proposed to his team a shift to a single-stop strategy.
By lap 24, Hamilton was outperforming Leclerc by a couple of seconds. Leclerc, the Ferrari driver, made his ultimate stop on lap 25, to which Mercedes responded by doing the same in the next lap, with Hamilton once again coming up in front of Leclerc.
Following the second pit-stops, it was Russell leading his teammate by six seconds while Hamilton perceived Piastri, the Australian who was exhibiting impressive speed in third position, as his actual competitor with 10 laps remaining. Meanwhile, Norris was in pursuit of Verstappen and Piastri overtaking Leclerc in a spectacular manoeuvre through Les Combes on lap 36, before going after Hamilton.
As the race approached lap 40, the gap between the top two drivers condensing to a second, with Hamilton speeding up. Mercedes informed their teammates they were free to contest the victory. Despite his tyres’ limits, Russell tenaciously guarded his position while Hamilton fiercely tailed him in the last laps, and also Piastri closed in on them.
In the final laps, Mercedes deserve commendation for allowing their pair to compete; it was an extremely nerve-racking period, but Russell managed to maintain his position after a courageous race showcasing tremendous skill, using his tyres effectively for 34 laps to clinch the win just half a second ahead of his teammate.
Finishing seventh was Carlos Sainz for Ferrari, followed by Sergio Pérez in eighth for Red Bull, Fernando Alonso in ninth for Aston Martin and Esteban Ocon rounding out the top ten for Alpine. – Guardian