Formula 1 itself is like many of its drivers, such as Max Verstappen or Fernando Alonso, with a legion of followers almost as numerous as that of haters. In the championship there are races that give arguments to those who criticise the competition for considering it boring. On the other hand, there are also Sundays as electric as this last one, in Spa, where the race was not decided until the finish line and with an absolutely unexpected podium composition. George Russell’s victory, sixth on the grid, is the second of the year for the Norfolk driver and the answer to those who believe that this competition is too predictable and leaves no room for improvisation. That last thing is, precisely, what kept the flame of hope in Russell’s head, who played against the odds and made only one stop – the rest of his opponents made two – and who managed to keep his tyres alive with Lewis Hamilton behind him, despite the multiple champion’s pressure in the last three laps.
With this result, Mercedes celebrated its first double since the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, a great result that should serve as a warning to others. The podium was completed by Oscar Piastri, who last week, in Budapest, opened his winning tally and is growing almost as fast as his McLaren is circulating. Max Verstappen, who started eleventh – he was carrying a penalty for having used the fifth engine – climbed to fifth place, while Carlos Sainz was seventh and Fernando Alonso, ninth.
With the experience of Friday’s practice sessions and Saturday’s qualifying, nobody would have bet a penny on a Mercedes victory in Belgium, which screwed up the package of improvements it introduced for this race but was smart enough to react and return to the configuration it used the previous Sunday in Hungary. With that last-minute change, a prodigious start by Hamilton and the best possible strategy for Russell, the brand with the star got its two drivers into trouble, guiding them from the wall, each on their own, until they met at the end, three laps from the checkered flag. Hamilton got to Russell but did not manage to throw his car at him, probably so as not to risk causing a big mess, and that made his teammate’s bet pay off.
After sleeping for almost half a year, in that whiny version that emerges when things are not quite going well, Hamilton has been regaining his stimuli as Mercedes has revitalized his car to once again show his best profile just in time for his vacation. At Silverstone, earlier this month and in front of a crowd that cried with joy with him, the Stevenage driver won a race three years after the last time. That boost motivated a change of attitude on the track in Hamilton, who seems to be the same as always and that is the best news for a World Championship that is more open than ever. Proof of this is the minimal difference (1.1 seconds) that separated the three who got on the podium. It is true that Verstappen has a considerable cushion of points (78 points), but it is equally true that the Dutchman is no longer competing only against himself or against a single rival, but against three. Seven days ago, in the paddock There was a consensus when it came to classifying the McLaren as the sharpest prototype of the moment. In less than a week, there are already those who believe that the W15 is at the same level, if not a step further.
“The decision to make one stop was a consensual one. We were betting big, but we had good pace and the car responded,” Russell summed up. “Friday was disastrous, the car wasn’t working. We made a lot of changes and we didn’t really know how things were going to go because it rained on Saturday. But we’ve seen that the car works,” Hamilton added. “The big surprise was Mercedes. We didn’t have the pace of either the Red Bulls or the McLarens, but the surprise was Mercedes,” said Charles Leclerc, unable to capitalise on the pole position which he took advantage of as a result of Verstappen’s penalty. “The Mercedes were extremely fast, much faster than we expected. In a dry race, without a safety car, there was nothing we could do. George’s pace allowed him to win with just one stop,” concluded the Ferrari driver.
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