George Russell entered Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix with the goal of eking out a podium after starting in sixth place on the grid. What transpired over the next 44 laps at Spa-Francorchamps can only be described as heroic as Russell ran a bold, one-stop strategy, holding off the field to claim an unexpected victory.
Or so he thought.
More than an hour after reaching the checkered flag ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, Russell was disqualified for having an underweight car. A margin of just 1.5 kilograms (or about 3.3 pounds) made the difference and the 26-year-old saw his third career F1 victory tossed aside due to the infraction.
Russell’s DQ still allowed Mercedes to claim victory as Hamilton was elevated to the top step of the podium following the ruling by the stewards. Pisatri earned second and pole-sitter Charles Leclerc proved to be another beneficiary, rounding out the podium in third.
Here’s what you need to know from a talent-loaded, ever-shifting Belgian Grand Prix.
Disaster Strikes After George Russell’s Heroic Drive
Spa is well-known for having the circuit with the longest lap on the Formula One schedule every year, making tire management and the timing of pit stops all the more important on a circuit with high degradation. Nobody handled that better than Russell on Sunday as he turned in a dazzling, and somewhat baffling, one-stop strategy prior to his disqualification.
The Mercedes driver began the race on medium tires, lasting just 10 laps before swapping for the hard compound. He was then heard on the radio suggesting that the team run as long of a stint as possible—which proved to just be the remainder of the race.
As the rest of the field, and particularly the remainder of the star-studded top eight, jostled and swapped positions during their first and second stops, Russell kept the same tires on for more than three-fourths of the race. Though he gave up chunks of time to Hamilton and even Piastri in the final five to 10 laps, it didn’t matter; the British driver was excellent in the corners and never let his teammate get an opportunity to make a true move past him.
After a chance win in Austria, Russell’s performance in Spa was far more impressive—and likely the best drive of his career. Unfortunately, that’s not how the 2024 Belgium Grand Prix will be remembered.
Instead, the main takeaway from the race was a colossal gaffe by Mercedes, allowing Russell’s car to end the race underweight. It’s a hard-line rule in F1 for the machines to pass a post-race check and no mistake could have been more costly. Instead of a full set of points, Russell will leave Spa and head into the summer break without any left to stew on what could have been.
Heartbreaking… We came in 1.5kg underweight and have been disqualified from the race.
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) July 28, 2024
We left it all on the track today and I take pride in crossing the line first.
There will be more to come.🏆💙 pic.twitter.com/6RfucAqPyF
There’s no moral victories in F1, especially with Mercedes still focused on moving its way up the standings, but Sunday showed that the team is in good hands for the post-Hamilton era. When the seven-time world champion makes way for Ferrari in 2025, Russell will take on the role as the top driver on the team. The performance in Spa shows he’s not only ready for the challenge, but well suited to handle the pressure, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Hopefully, the next time around, his car will be up to code.
The Mercedes Threat
For the time being though, Russell and Hamilton remain teammates—and a dangerous pair at that.
A Mercedes driver has now won in three of the last four races. Over the last six races, Mercedes has made up six of the 18 spots on the podium, just one shy of McLaren (which has just one win) for the most in that span. While much has been made about the uptick in McLaren’s performance since the start of the season, Mercedes has amassed nearly as many points as its rivals since Canada.
Unfortunately George has been disqualified for his car being below the minimum required weight. Here’s Toto’s reaction. pic.twitter.com/a3qJLyrwr8
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 28, 2024
A tepid start to the year probably means that Russell and Hamilton won’t be able to make up enough ground on Red Bull, or even McLaren, in the constructors' championship by season’s end. But the improvement in performance is significant and a welcome sign ahead of 2025.
Even if a championship is out of reach this year, Mercedes will scrap for every place possible in the standings. The difference between finishing in third, where Ferrari currently sits, and fourth in the constructors’ championship comes with a much larger financial incentive. Mercedes seems to have already overtaken the Ferrari in pace on the track. All that’s left is to catch the Prancing Horse in the standings.
McLaren’s Missed Opportunity
With Max Verstappen starting all the way down in 11th, McLaren was well-positioned to take another chunk out of Red Bull’s championship lead. What happened instead was a rather uninspiring result for the Milton Keynes outfit, that was wholly dependent on being in open air.
When Piastri’s McLaren got into some free space during the middle of the race, the car took on new life, quickly claiming the fastest lap at the time. But Lando Norris seemed to find himself stuck in traffic or a DRS train for the majority of the race, leaving him little room to maneuver.
Part of the reason for Norris’s woes was another poor start. After getting passed for the lead on the opening straight in Hungary, the 24-year-old again lost places around Turn 1, falling all the way back into seventh from fourth. The race didn’t get much better for Norris, and after finishing a place behind Verstappen, he now trails the reigning champ by a whopping 78 points going into the summer break.
Still, McLaren took another chunk out of Red Bull’s championship lead, setting the stage for an epic final stretch of the season. With the gap between the two top teams now only 42 points, every position will count in the last 10 races.
Red Bull’s Summer Decision
If every place matters going forward, Red Bull needs to show improvement—especially at the No. 2 driver position.
Sergio Pérez arrived in Belgium on the hot seat and Sunday’s performance did nothing to change that notion. After finally landing back on the front row in qualifying, the 34-year-old looked outmatched and plummeted down to a seventh place finish—last among drivers in the top four teams who finished the race.
The situation now officially seems untenable at Red Bull. The team is leaking points compared to the rest of the field and Pérez is in seventh place in the drivers’ standings. Eight straight races of disappointing results mean this is now the norm and not the exception. And based on the rumors in recent weeks, Red Bull isn’t afraid to make a change.
Whether that swap is made or not, and who slots in should Pérez be ousted, will surely be decided in the next week or two. Daniel Ricciardo has turned in a series of better drives as of late and has the history of a race-winner in F1. Yuki Tsunoda has been one of the best drivers in the midfield this season and is just two points out of 10th place in the drivers’ standings. Liam Lawson is considered one of the best young talents in the sport and has been patiently waiting as Red Bull’s reserve driver for an opportunity.
Should Pérez no longer be in a Red Bull by the break’s end, he’ll be remembered as a key cog in back-to-back constructors’ championships. But if the team wants a third consecutive title, a change has to be made.
Looking Ahead
The next month off will be critical for the top teams. Parity has been the story of F1 for the last few weeks and the changes made during the month of August will define how the final 10 races of the season go.
Will Red Bull make a driver change? Can McLaren capture its first championship in more than two decades? Will Mercedes overtake Ferrari? Where will Carlos Sainz sign? How will the rest of the driver’s market shake out? These are just some of the questions that will be answered coming out of the break at the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 25.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Belgian Grand Prix Takeaways: George Russell DQ Spoils Dream Day for Mercedes.
