Lewis Hamilton was visibly upset with George Russell’s one-stop strategy helping him finish the Belgian GP in P1. The seven-time champion inherited the win just hours later, due to Russell’s disqualification. Still, his comments in the post-race presser before that verdict showed his discontent. Former McLaren mechanic, Marc Priestley thinks Hamilton should not feel upset with Russell’s strategy as it was a massive gamble.
In his breakdown of the Belgian GP on YouTube, Priestley said,
“I can understand why Lewis Hamilton is upset with that. However, It’s not something that the team have suddenly stitched him up with. It was a George Russell-driven decision to make the one-stop gamble”.
Priestley highlighted how no team’s simulations had deemed a one-stop strategy as a “viable” option for this race at Spa. Even Pirelli suggested the optimal tire strategy would be a two-stopper with multiple permutations of the three compounds. It was due to the new track asphalt and rain washing out the rubber laid down on the track.
Regardless, Russell made this “inspired” decision to take a “gamble” on the one-stop strategy. Priestley said that the #63 driver felt it was a risk “worth taking”, as he was not in a position to get a podium on pure pace, had he followed the rest of the pack’s two-stop strategy.
Thirty-four laps on one set of tyres! #F1 #BelgianGP @GeorgeRussell63 pic.twitter.com/d7ujawqQ6h
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2024
Priestley mentioned how even Hamilton could have taken his decision to go for a one-stopper. However, as he was leading the Grand Prix, the seven-time champion played it by the book. Meanwhile, Russell gambled to make his hard tires last for 34 laps around the 7.004 km long Spa Francorchamps.
Eventually, it paid off for him to win the race on track as tire degradation was less than expected. However, as the events unfolded Russell lost the victory as his car was underweight due to the tires being on the limit of the wear.
Russell’s Belgium win lasted for two hours
In the post-race FIA checks, Russell’s car was 1.5 kg under the maximum weight limit of 798 kg. This was a clear breach of the technical regulations. Thus, as per Article 35.3 of the Sporting Regulations, the #63 car was disqualified from the classification.
This verdict from the stewards came just over two hours after the race ended at Spa. Mercedes admitted their mistake as it was an error from their end to not keep a check on the car’s weight. It led to a reduction in the points haul for Mercedes, as Russell was left with no points from the weekend.
DISQUALIFIED! ❌
George Russell has LOST his Belgian GP win after the F1 stewards found his Mercedes W15 to be underweight post-race
Story to follow… pic.twitter.com/kdhdtbqRhB
— Autosport (@autosport) July 28, 2024
While Hamilton inherited the win, he too felt disappointed for his teammate. He posted a story on Instagram, highlighting how “gutted” he was. Hamilton also stated that they would work towards another 1-2 finish in the second half of this season.
Certainly, Mercedes would want to cherish this rich vein of form they have hit despite Russell’s setback in Belgium. The Brackley outfit have won three of the last four races, which was unimaginable at the start of 2024. So, heading into Zandvoort next month, Hamilton and Russell would be buoyant to pick up where they left off.
