RUSSELL WINS IN BELGIUM AFTER IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY TO HOLD OFF HAMILTON
Spa, Belgium always an exciting race, the longest track on the calendar. In the end it was the Mercedes of George Russell who nursed his tyres to the end and his pure racing ability to hold off his seven times World Champion teammate in Lewis Hamilton who was on fresher tyres but a race he certainly deserved to win and its his second race win this year after his victory in Austria. Hamilton takes second for a 60th Mercedes 1-2 finish and race winner Oscar Piastri finishes in third.
After inheriting pole thanks to the grid penalty for Verstappen (Red Bull) it was Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) who started on pole who led into turn one with Hamilton wheel to wheel with Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - but it's Lewis Hamilton who ends up ahead going into Eau Rouge - Piastri (McLaren) and Russell went side by side into the chicane at the end of Radillon but Russell runs wide and Piastri holds the position. Verstappen up to ninth after starting 11th.
Leclerc doesn't hold the lead for long when on lap three Hamilton leads the Belgian Grand Prix. A simple move for the Mercedes the Ferrari didn’t really have anything to fight it.
The Sauber of Guanyu Zhou going very slowly losing power the further he goes. He finds a default to get some power back but on lap seven it was all over for the Chinese driver as he is retired from the race.
The first round of pit stops came on lap twelve Hamilton, Perez and Piastri pit - meaning Leclerc reclaims the lead head of Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Lando Norris (McLaren) is second and third. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) fourth and Esteban Ocon (Alpine) fifth, for now...
The very next lap Leclerc pitted from the lead of the race. Sainz and Norris both carry on. Sainz the new race leader.
Eventually after twenty one laps Sainz pits from the lead - Hamilton back in front ahead of Leclerc in second ands Piastri in third with Russell into fourth.
On lap 22/44 half way through this race and Verstappen is only up to fifth place, followed closely by Norris. Not what we expect from the Red Bull who has shown they can sweep past any competition if they start lower than first. Miami last year comes to mind, but the Red Bull clearly nowhere near as good as they were 12 months ago…
Russell looks to stay on his tyres until the end after speaking to his team over the radio being very clear he want's to make this one stop work. He’s already been on this tyre for over 20 laps. Russell currently leads the race from Hamilton in second and Leclerc in third.
And what a call it turned out to be from Russell as he nursed his tyres right to end even with the pressure from behind, a well deserved victory for the man from Kings Lynn. He stands on the top step of the podium where he took his first podium in F1 for Williams in the race that was never really a race...
Formula One now heads into its summer break and we return in just under a months time for the Dutch Grand Prix.
*Note: Russell was later disqualified from this race after his car was found to be underweight by 1.5KG. Hamilton inherits the win his 105th of his career with Piastri up into second and Leclerc takes third.
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