Written by Sophie Harvey
Another race down, another blockbuster outing. George Russell was the driver who stole the headlines at the formidable Spa-Francorchamps, taking the win after a mighty one-stop drive outshone the field.
That said, his glory was short-lived — as the FIA’s Technical Delegate deemed the Brit’s W15 underweight, Russell was disqualified shortly after. Teammate Lewis Hamilton inherited the victory, taking home a collection of well-deserved points to console the Brackley-based outfit.
Loser: George Russell
Spa was certainly a rollercoaster for Russell, where a mega drive soon turned into a nightmare result. Having conducted his own cunning strategy from the cockpit, he executed an exceptional one-stopper and converted his lacklustre P7 in qualifying to an infamous win — or so he thought.
The Brit crossed the finish line to mark a momentous 1-2 for Mercedes, leading Hamilton home. Though just hours later, the win he was reveling in was unexpectedly stripped away. The FIA ruled that Russell’s car was underweight, leading to his shock disqualification.
As the only frontrunner to opt for this ambitious strategy, Russell had driven for a mighty 34 laps on the same set of tyres — all whilst fending off a relentless Hamilton, bearing fresher rubber.
"It is heartbreaking to be disqualified from today’s race,” Russell stated post-race, “It had been an unbelievable Grand Prix for us to make the one-stop strategy work. […] Whilst I’m incredibly disappointed, I know we will bounce back stronger after the summer break, starting in Zandvoort."
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
It was clear that Hamilton was slightly annoyed by his P2 result, wearing a post-race demeanor of frustration. Though a Silver Arrows 1-2 was a cause for celebration, the Brit undoubtedly felt as if the win had been snatched away from him.
That said, his teammate’s disqualification meant that Hamilton inherited a well-deserved win. Having led the majority of the race, the trophy will be well-received despite the circumstances.
Alongside a historic victory at Silverstone, the Brit now has two wins this season. This makes him the only driver other than Max Verstappen to win more than one race so far, signifying an upward spike in Mercedes’ recent form.
Solidifying his intention to continue this success in Zandvoort, he simply stated: “We can go into the summer break with momentum and positivity."
Loser: Sergio Perez
Starting on the front row of Sunday’s grid, Perez undoubtedly expected more than P7. Even with an additional penalty, his teammate Max Verstappen finished three places ahead.
Despite Christian Horner stating that he intends to stick with Perez after the summer break, his performance is still under scrutiny and discussions surrounding his future are lingering — if anything, we know Red Bull’s ‘second driver’ is never safe.
As little consolation, he took home an additional point for fastest lap. Though, he still sits 146 points back from Verstappen in the standings
“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for me recently, as a team we need to re-group and take some time during the summer break to understand everything and hopefully we hit the ground running for the second half of the season.”
Winner: Oscar Piastri
McLaren’s latest race winner qualified P6, and finished the Belgian Grand Prix in a remarkable P2. The Australian’s current form is simply unmatched, taking McLaren’s consecutive podium streak upto 10. If there was just an extra lap or two, it’s undeniable that this man would have challenged for the win.
He also sits just 10 points away from Charles Leclerc in the standings, and cuts the gap between McLaren and Red Bull in the standings even further.
If Perez doesn’t up his game, it looks as if Red Bull will find it a real challenge to hold onto their constructors title — Piastri is playing a huge part in this, picking up the pieces on Norris’ bad runs and ensuring McLaren continue to chip away at the lead.
"I’m happy with the result. I think we managed the race very well and I don’t think we could have done much more today. We did a lot of things right and gave ourselves the best opportunities, but in the end, it wasn’t quite enough.
Loser: Haas
A disappointing day for Haas saw them begin summer break on a low, taking no points home from Belgium.
Both drivers attempted to salvage their respective races with alternative strategies — Hulkenberg tried a very early pitstop but finished last, Magnussen attempted a one-stop but was soon overtaken by cars on fresher rubber.
Haas have had some solid performances as of late, including double points finishes. The winding turns of Spa did not follow this trend, but as Team Principal Ayao Komatsu has rightly stated, all hope is not lost for the American team.
“It was a tough race today, we didn’t have the pace,” he began, “it’s not the way we want to finish the last race before the summer shutdown, but we have to look at the bigger picture. Across 14 races, we’ve scored 27 points and we’re P7 in the Constructors’ Championship – so we need to look at the positives.”
Winner: Daniel Ricciardo
Qualifying P13, a solid drive and Russell’s disqualification bumped Ricciardo upto P10. Whilst it’s not much to show for his efforts, it’s a well-deserved point for VCARB on what was a tough weekend.
Likewise, every point counts. Haas’ sit just seven points behind VCARB in the constructors, so capitalising on their poor weekend was a must.
"Today was very similar to yesterday; I’m quite pleased as I feel like we had a really strong two-stop race,” said Ricciardo, who has struggled to find form as of late. Currently sitting without a drive for next year, his performances are becoming increasingly important in deciding his next move.
“It was a positive weekend and I’m leaving Spa content and fulfilled, which pleases me entering the summer break.”
Loser: Kick Sauber
The fluorescent green outfit are having a season to forget, sitting at the bottom of the standings with zero points to their name. Difficult races have become their norm, with both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu experiencing a plethora of mechanical faults so far. In Spa, it was Zhou’s brakes and power unit that became their latest unwanted problem.
When it’s not race-ending failures, it’s their poorly orchestrated pit stops. Kick Saubers embarrassing executions have undoubtedly narrated their season, occupying headlines with their lack of coordination.
Bottas’ P15 was the best result the Swiss team could muster, but Alessandro Alunni Bravi has reassured viewers that their circumstances are improving: “Today’s recognition goes to our pit crew, who achieved a remarkable 1.9-second pit stop with Valtteri on lap 36. This is a significant achievement for the team, especially after the issues we faced at the start of the season”
“Having recovered from this challenging situation, we now need to focus on closing the gap in car performance through the effort of everyone, both trackside and back in Hinwil.”
Winner: Esteban Ocon
It’s a well-fought P9 for Frenchman, Ocon. A well timed overcut gave him an advantage over his neighboring rivals, bringing home two points for Alpine’s efforts in the constructor’s championship.
This performance also ended a recent points drought, after a small surge in form came to a rather sudden conclusion.
It will come as a reassuring result for Ocon, who hopes to end his five-year tenure with Renault and Alpine on a high. His experience will be incredibly beneficial in 2025, where he will join Haas to partner Ferrari star Oliver Bearman.
“We had good pace throughout, enough straight-line speed to overtake down the Kemmel Straight and in the end, it was enough for the top ten,” he said before stating that their positives were Alpine’s “general race pace and tyre management.”
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