Lewis Hamilton inherited the Belgian GP victory last weekend despite crossing the chequered flag in P2. The 39-year-old was declared the winner after the FIA disqualified his Mercedes teammate George Russell after deeming his car underweight by 1.5 kgs.
Hamilton’s win was not only his 105th F1 victory but also his fifth at the Spa-Francorchamps track. This helped him equal his idol Ayrton Senna’s tally of wins in Belgium.
Senna won the race in 1985 and then four times consecutively from 1988 to 1991. Hamilton, on the other hand, has won at Spa in 2010, 2015, 2017, 2020 and this season.
the fact that lewis equalled senna for wins in ✨ pic.twitter.com/rOx6law7qL
— sim (@sim3744) July 31, 2024
That being said, the iconic duo of Senna and Hamilton are still one race win short of equalling the record set by Michael Schumacher. The legendary German driver has won at Spa on six occasions (1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2002). Although Hamilton won his second race in 2024 at Spa, he had mixed feelings about it.
Hamilton explains why he felt for Russell after inheriting the win from him
Formula1.com quoted Hamilton as saying, “Mixed feelings for today’s result.” While the 39-year-old was happy to win, he expressed his sympathy for Russell, who lost out on a potential third F1 win, and for the team who lost out on a 1-2 finish.
The Silver Arrows, however, will be looking positively at the European leg of the season so far. Since the Austrian GP, the team have won three races and scored a good haul of points as they continue fighting to climb up the ranks in the Constructors’ Championship.
