What a breathtaking end to the Belgian Grand Prix, with George Russell defying the slightest bit of odds, including Lewis Hamilton, to secure an impeccable race victory. What’s fascinating is that, for the majority of the race, Russell was nowhere near the contention for the race victory. Instead, he was busy battling against Max Verstappen and others for as high as P4. However, in the end, one crucial strategy call turned the tide around for Russell, which propelled the 26-year-old all the way to the top of the pack.
While this glorifies Russell’s incredible racing prowess, this also raises questions over Hamilton’s sudden struggle despite the massive tyre advantage. The seven-time world champion opted for a two-stop strategy and hunted his teammate down in less than ten laps. And with over four laps in hand and a mere second to beat, Hamilton was all set to reclaim his lead. But, shockingly enough, Hamilton struggled to get any closer to Russell, and despite all the efforts, he ended up settling for a rather disappointing yet highly appreciable P2.
Our top 10 at Spa 🇧🇪#F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/IvUCFtnO2Z
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2024
Even as an elated Russell rushed to his teammates in the parc ferme, one could see Hamilton in the background absolutely dejected. Then arrived a bitter statement from Hamilton during the podium interview with Guenther Steiner. The former Haas boss questioned the reason behind Hamilton’s evident struggles. Interestingly enough, Hamilton pointed his finger at Mercedes’ strategy.
Lewis Hamilton unhappy with Mercedes strategy after embarrassing defeat
Losing out to your own teammate despite leading the way for the majority of the race can be an immensely bitter feeling. And it was evident that Hamilton was going through the pain. When asked about his humiliating defeat to Russell, Hamilton did not hold back on his emotions. The seven-time world champion wondered why Mercedes forced him to pit despite running on a reasonably fresh set of tires.
“First I have to say congratulations to George and to the team. We had such a disaster on Friday. The car was really nowhere and we made some changes, hard to see what it was gonna feel like because of the wet yesterday. But, the car was fantastic today,” Hamilton told F1 TV.
“I mean I was trying to get closer obviously, but, George did a great job going long on the tyres. Every stint, I had tires left but the team pulled me in, so, yeah, unfortunate, but, it is one of those days.“
Overall, despite the mixed feelings within the team, Mercedes can happily walk into the summer break with a commendable 1-2 finish at Spa. Meanwhile, an underwhelming weekend for the leading title contenders, Red Bull and McLaren. Hence, how are things going to change over the next month? Can Mercedes retain its form over the rest of the season and challenge for the constructors championship?
Sara Chavan