Winners and Losers at the Belgian Grand Prix: From Russell’s Reign to Hamilton’s Gain

The final F1 race before summer break finished this stint of the season off with a bang. The Belgian Grand Prix, held at the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, turned into a dramatic FIA spectacle after George Russell’s apparent initial win. Going into the month-long break, who will enter the Dutch Grand Prix with their head held high- and who will be eager for redemption?

Loser: George Russell

Source: www.mercedesamgf1.com/reports

After pulling off an impressive and unexpected one-stop strategy, George Russell crossed the finish line first where his apparent win was celebrated. Mere hours after the victory, it was announced by the FIA and the Mercedes team that Russell was disqualified from the race for his car being 1.5kg underweight. His teammate Lewis Hamilton, who came second, inherited the win.

Russell responded to the call graciously on his social media, expressing both his disappointment and his pride for his performance on the track. Going into the summer break and eventually the Dutch Grand Prix, Russell will be eager to redeem himself and score his second win for the 2024 season.

Winner: Mercedes

Despite their winning driver’s disqualification, the German team was extremely lucky with the race results. The Mercedes 1-2 meant that even with the disqualification, Hamilton would inherit the win and still claim the victory and points for Mercedes. 

Source: www.mercedesamgf1.com/reports

After struggling early on in the season, it seems Mercedes is reclaiming their spot as a serious contender in the constructor’s championship. They have won three of the four last races and will continue the season hoping to score those points, podiums, and victories.

Loser: Sergio Perez

After a series of poor performances from the recently resigned Red Bull driver, Belgium appeared to be yet another redeeming chance for Perez. He qualified third and started second, making him a strong podium and even victory contender. Since Emilia-Romagna, Perez has failed to finish higher than seventh place, DNFing in back to back races and causing a total upwards of $3 million in damages. With pressure on his coveted seat at Red Bull, Belgium was Perez’s opportunity to redeem himself.

However, his performance was underwhelming as he once again finished seventh, post disqualification. Little pressure has been alleviated from Perez’s shoulders, and he will go into the summer break with the future of his place at Red Bull heavy on mind.

Winner: McLaren

Source: www.mclaren.com

The McLaren team overall has displayed an excellent performance this season. Both drivers claimed their first wins this season, with Norris’ victory in Miami and Piastri’s recent win in Hungary. Currently, Norris and Piastri sit second and fourth in the driver’s championship, respectively. Despite a poor start from Norris, he finished fifth after the disqualification, with his teammate finishing second, scoring solid points towards their fight in the constructor’s championship. McLaren’s speed and consistency will be vital moving into the last stint of the season.

Loser: Red Bull

Red Bull will be looking to improve after gradually losing their early season domination. Coming out of a Verstappen dominated 2023 season, the first portion of the season looked to be a similar path for Red Bull. The first of their real challengers came in the form of Lando Norris and the McLaren team, but Ferrari and Mercedes quickly joined the fight. Red Bull is at risk in the constructor’s championship, with a 42 point lead, especially after Perez’s stint of poor performances. With mediocre results of fourth and sixth place at the Belgian Grand Prix, Red Bull will be eager to reacquire their dominance in their championship driver’s home race, the Dutch Grand Prix.

Winner: Charles Leclerc

Source: www.ferrari.com

Following a long-awaited home victory in Monaco, Leclerc has been struggling in the past few races. Car and strategic issues resulted in a DNF in Canada and low finishes in both Austria and Silverstone. However, Leclerc has been regaining his position as a regular podium contender. He inherited pole position after Verstappen’s 10-place grid penalty, and despite losing the lead to Hamilton early on, he finished with a strong second place after the disqualification. This will be a much needed confidence boost as Leclerc fights to defend his third place in the driver’s championship from Piastri, just 10 points behind.

Loser: Williams

Source: www.williamsf1.com

After a deceptively strong performance from Alex Albon in FP1, setting the third fastest time, the Belgian Grand Prix results simply didn’t reflect Williams’ pace in free practices. Though Albon was momentarily in points contention during the race, he ultimately finished twelfth, mere places away from that last points position. His teammate Logan Sargeant finished in seventeenth. Williams has had some stronger races this season, with Albon scoring in Monaco and Silverstone, and Sargeant coming close to points in Silverstone as well. They will be looking to use these glimpses of speed shown in practice on the track moving forward.

Looking Ahead

Formula One is seeing one of its most interesting seasons yet after many years of Red Bull and Mercedes domination. For the first time in a long time, four teams- Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren -are all nearly evenly matched in pace, making individual driving and strategic calls more important than ever. We’ll find ourselves back racing in a month’s time for our most recent champion, Max Verstappen’s home race, at the Dutch Grand Prix.