Heartbreak for George Russell as his Mercedes teammate inherits the 1st place trophy at the Belgian Grand Prix. Sergio Perez perhaps sealed his fate prior to the critical Red Bull meeting set to decide his future in the sport.
After a couple of years of complete Red Bull and Max Verstappen domination in Formula One, the sport has gone through a rebirth in the last few races. The 2024 F1 season has already brought us seven race winners, including maiden wins for the McLaren duo and a victory for Charles Leclerc on home soil in the principality of Monaco. And we’re only halfway through the championship.
Bahrain - Verstappen
Saudi Arabia - Verstappen
Australia - Sainz
Japan - Verstappen
China - Verstappen
Miami - Norris
Emlia-Romagna - Verstappen
Monaco - Leclerc
Canada - Verstappen
Spain - Verstappen
Austria - Russell
Great Britain - Hamilton
Hungary - Piastri
Belgium - Hamilton
The Red Bull Conundrum
While the start of the season suggested we’re in for another “Max Show”, thankfully for us, the season has taken a turn and the grid is closer than the recent surge of fans can remember, reminding us what Formula One is about.
This weekend’s race at the iconic Spa-Francochamps was largely believed to be in Max’s hands despite his impending 10-place grid penalty after exceeding engine allowance. The race wasn’t as straightforward for the Red Bull outfit as they would have hoped.
Max Verstappen bested the rest of the grid during Saturday’s qualifying session and were it not for the decision to take a power unit penalty, the driver number 1 would have most probably dominated this weekend.
Despite starting from P11, Verstappen somehow managed to exceed his driver’s championship lead over Lando Norris who started in P4, as the young Brit seemed off the pace during Sunday’s race.
It’s not a well-hidden secret that Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, is under immense pressure in the Red Bull team despite signing a contract extension earlier in the year. The Belgian Grand Prix might have been seen as his last chance to prove his worth to the Milton Keynes team, but the Mexican driver only made another step towards the door.
While Sergio Perez did manage to qualify in third for the weekend, it was yet again a close call as he barely made it into Q3 at all. In stark contrast to his impressive teammate, Sergio Perez went backwards in a race that, on paper, he should’ve placed on the podium if not won.
Three out of four for Mercedes
As history implied, Charles Leclerc, who inherited Verstappen’s pole position, wasn’t able to keep the lead of the race for long when Lewis Hamilton overtook him on Lap 3. All in all, the seven-time world champion did everything right this weekend, outqualifying his teammate George Russell and taking the lead in the early stages of the race. Hamilton positioned himself perfectly for a win; however, he was only second across the finish line as George Russell made a bold strategic call for a one-stop.
The Mercedes team didn’t celebrate their 1-2 for long as, shortly after the podium ceremony, George Russell was disqualified. His car was 1.5kg underweight—a difference small enough that it could have probably been rectified if Russell had done a cool-down lap. At the end of the day, only 375g of extra rubber per tyre could have saved him from disqualification. While the one-stop strategy seemed like a genius call during the chequered flag, it cost him a points finish.
Luckily for Mercedes, it was Lewis Hamilton who picked up the pieces. After waiting for over two years for a race victory, the otherwise serial winner Lewis Hamilton has returned to the top step of the podium, having won at Silverstone a few weeks before and now adding another win to his tally.
Yin and Yang
A common dynamic seemed to have ruled the paddock this weekend as many teams have found themselves on both sides of the spectrum of a good result and disappointment.
Max Verstappen exceeded his championship lead after starting in P11 while Sergio Perez did not capitalise on a front-row start and probably won’t be returning to the garage after the summer break.
Lewis Hamilton got his record-exceeding 105th win while George Russell was disqualified due to a valiant strategic call.
Oscar Piastri has placed second in the final standings while Lando Norris had a poor start and didn’t manage to salvage his race result.
This weekend’s race at Spa-Francorchamps not only highlighted the volatile nature of Formula One but also set the stage for an electrifying second half of the season. As teams regroup and recalibrate, fans can look forward to more dramatic twists and turns as the season progresses.
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