George Russell held on to win the Belgian Grand Prix from Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the final Formula 1 race before the summer break.
It looked like Hamilton’s victory from start to finish as he overtook Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the opening laps.
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But after pitting for a second time in the race to fit a fresh set of tyres, he was held up in the closing stages by his fellow Brit, who had opted to stay out on a one-stop strategy.
Despite having 15-lap younger rubber on his car, Hamilton got stuck in DRS in the only real overtaking spot in Spa.
It was a masterstroke from Russell, who picked up his second win of the season and Mercedes’ third victory in the last four races.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri completed the podium and the Australian looked lightning-quick in the final few laps, closing right up behind Hamilton as they crossed the finish line, despite having a gap of over 5 seconds to make up.
Leclerc came home in fourth, despite starting the race on pole.
Our top 10 at Spa 🇧🇪#F1 #BELGIANGP PIC.TWITTER.COM/IVUCFTNO2Z
— Formula 1 (@F1) JULY 28, 2024
Championship leader Max Verstappen claimed the fastest lap on Saturday, but took a 10-place grid penalty, handing the Ferrari his spot at the front of the grid.
Leclerc fended off the challenge from Hamilton for the first five laps but had no answer to the Silver Arrows’ straight-line speed as it sped past to take the lead.
And he only moved backwards from there, forfeiting a place to Piastri late on and taking fourth.
Russell was never in contention to win the race, having pitted once to change his medium tyres to hards, he stayed out on the track while others around him pitted a second time, leaving him on older tyres but in the lead of the race.
And the 26-year-old managed to get his car home before anyone else, making sure the dirty air from the back of his Mercedes overheated Hamilton’s tyres behind him to maintain his advantage.
Speaking after the race, he said: ” We definitely didn’t predict this win this morning in our strategy meeting but the car was feeling really awesome.
“We made a lot of changes from Friday night and the tyres just felt great. I kept saying ‘we can do the one-stop’.
“Piastri did a really great job and also well done to Lewis – he really controlled that race and if circumstances were slightly different I am sure he would have got the victory but a one-two for the team was such an awesome result and such a great way to go into the break.”
“I was focusing a lot during the race so I will have to listen to the radio commentary back but it was a team effort.
“We rolled the dice but it was only possible because the car was feeling really great.”
“Three wins in six for us now. I’d want another race next weekend. The team have been working so hard so well deserved for everybody.”
What a drive, George! 🤩#F1 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/7DhiQRanXS
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 28, 2024
Elsewhere, Verstappen could only recover to fifth, but he extended his lead at the top of the championship to Lando Norris, who finished sixth.
Carlos Sainz, Perez, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon made up the rest of the top 10.
Hamilton looked dejected in the aftermath of the race, but recovered to face the media and ultimately admitted it was a great result for the team, even if he did not manage to get his second win in three races.
He added: “We definitely didn’t [expect this]. Firstly, congratulations to George and the team.
“We had such a disaster on Friday; the car was really nowhere. So we made some changes – hard to see what it was going to feel like because of the weather yesterday – but the car was fantastic.
“So we really owe it to the team here, through the pit stops and strategy, and the guys back at the factory.
“I was trying to get closer but George did a great job of going long on the tyres. Every stint I had tyres left, but the team called me in. Unfortunate, but it was just one of those days.”
Formula 1 will now pause for the summer break, before it returns on 23 August for the Dutch Grand Prix where Verstappen will be looking to get back to winning ways in front of his home crowd.
