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Lewis Hamilton Remembers Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen in Honor of Spa Francorchamps’ Legacy

Vidit Dhawan
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Lewis Hamilton Remembers Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen in Honor of Spa Francorchamps’ Legacy

Many drivers have regarded the Spa-Francorchamps circuit as one of the most legendary tracks on the F1 calendar. Lewis Hamilton also commented on the same, ahead of last weekend’s Belgian GP, and he used fellow seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher’s brilliance as an example.

During the drivers’ parade ahead of the race in Belgium, he said,

I am just thinking about the history and how lucky are we here. I remember growing up watching Mika [Hakkinen] and [Michael] Schumacher down here“.

One of Schumacher’s biggest rivals was Mika Hakkinen, and the two legendary drivers fought multiple times in Spa in the build-up to their intense Championship duels.

In 2000 Belgian GP, Hakkinen produced one of the best overtakes in the track’s history, when he passed Schumacher in Les Combes, by using Ricardo Zonta’s lapped car as a dummy.

Hakkinen used Zonta to put Schumacher in an uncomfortable situation before passing both drivers. He would go on to win the race, finishing ahead of Schumacher and his brother Ralf.

Hamilton thought about incidents like that ahead of this year’s Belgian GP, which he won. However, the victory came in a way he wouldn’t have preferred, ideally.

Hamilton won the Belgian GP at George Russell’s expense

Hamilton and George Russell were very close to each other in the last few laps of the 2024 Belgian GP, and thanks to the latter’s strategy choice, he prevailed.  Despite Hamilton’s best efforts, he couldn’t pass Russell.

Regardless, it was a 1-2 finish for Mercedes, which capped off another brilliant weekend for the Brackley-based team.

However, after the race, Russell’s car was found to be underweight. As such, he was disqualified from the race, through no fault of his own, and Hamilton, who finished P2, got the winner’s trophy.

Heartbreak for Russell, but relief and happiness for Hamilton, who won his 105th F1 Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps.

Post Edited By:Somin Bhattacharjee

About the author

Vidit Dhawan

Vidit Dhawan

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Vidit Dhawan, a Formula 1 Editor at The SportsRush, is intrinsically connected with everything around the sport — from the engine roar, the cacophony on the grandstands to the action. He fell in love with F1 during the inaugural Indian GP in 2011. After more than a decade of deep engagement with the sport, Vidit insists he will remain a lifelong fan of Fernando Alonso, and sees the future of F1 in Charles Leclerc. A sports fanatic from childhood, he discovered his passion for writing while pursuing a bachelor's degree in international and global studies. Vidit has written over 1,700 articles, ranging from news reports to opinions. He thrives covering live action, and loves to dig into the contrasting personalities in the F1 bandwagon and narrate their journey in life as well as the sport. Vidit also follows tennis and football, enjoys playing as well as coaching chess.

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