George Russell performed a miracle by winning the Belgian Grand Prix for Mercedes, fully deserving the victory. The Englishman, starting sixth on the grid, defied all predictions by attempting a surprise move: the strategists had planned a two-stop race, while the 26-year-old British driver came up with the idea of completing the 44 laps with just one pit stop from the cockpit.
George Russell bet on the ability of the hard compound Pirelli tires to extend their life to 34 laps, well beyond the predictions made by the sole supplier. He brings back to modern F1 the driver’s ability to overturn computer forecasts with a Mercedes that was disappointing in qualifying but simply sensational in the race. However, Mercedes might have overlooked a key aspect: the fact that George Russell’s tyres were more worn than those who had done two stops meant that by the end of the race they would have had less rubber on them, and consequently weighed less. As a result, about 90 minutes after the conclusion of the Belgian Grand Prix, the FIA announced that his car had come in underweight. The W15 weighed in at 796.5 kilograms, 1.5kg beneath the minimum weight required by the sport’s regulations. The car had initially weighed in bang on the 798kg limit, but once the remaining fuel was drained in accordance with the rules, it fell below. The decision gives Lewis Hamilton a second victory in three races going into Formula 1’s summer break. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was therefore promoted to second, while Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc moved up to third to take the final podium place at the the 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Now let’s take a detailed look at how events unfolded for the two Ferrari drivers in the Belgian Grand Prix:
Charles Leclerc’s clutch release is very good, allowing him to avoid an attack at the start. Carlos Sainz also does well, taking advantage of Lando Norris’ not exceptional start to overtake him without too many problems. In the following laps, Lewis Hamilton becomes very threatening in the Ferrari driver’s mirrors. His future teammate becomes very pressing and, with the help of drag reduction system, eventually manages to pass Charles. Meanwhile, Carlos is forced to yield his position to Lando, who has more pace. It is interesting to note how the Ferrari performs quite well in the middle sector.
Car number 16, in fact, despite the dirty air from Lewis’s Mercedes, manages to keep pace. The problem arises in the high-speed sections where the Ferrari’s drag becomes evident, inhibiting Charles’s desire to return the “favor” and attempt to overtake the Englishman. The race seems decidedly more tactical than expected because the performance levels among the leading cars are not that different. Max Verstappen is trying to recover but at the moment is not going beyond seventh place.
By lap 8, things have not changed. Charles Leclerc remains behind Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes, while Carlos Sainz, followed closely by Norris, does not let George Russell go. The Ferrari pit wall requests and receives a tire phase update from the two drivers in order to understand the state of the tires. Carlos indicates that he is starting to struggle with the Hards, while his Maranello teammate seems to have no major problems with the yellow-banded Pirellis. Lap 12, Lewis enters the pits. Bryan Bozzi, Ferrari’s race engineer, opens the radio and, following Plan A, covers the pit stop of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion. For this reason, Charles Leclerc is called into the pits.
The Monegasque asks if there is a possibility of suffering an undercut from Sergio Perez, who is about 2 seconds behind. The tire change for the Ferrari driver is very clean, and he returns to the track in fifth place, still behind the Briton. A new set of Hard tires for him, with which he will have to be very careful in the first laps to avoid shortening the tire’s useful life. Carlos Sainz is currently leading the race, and as confirmed by his race engineer, Riccardo Adami, he has a good pace on the white-banded tires. The decision to continue with Plan D is therefore maintained.
The Spaniard is informed that the balance of his car is very good, despite having 15 laps under his belt. In his case, the strategy is to extend the first stint as much as possible, to then enjoy a clear advantage in the second part of the race when he will mount another set of tires. Bryan Bozzi is very precise and provides an endless array of suggestions, discussing how to manage the tires in almost every corner, how to use the braking system to gain entry, and some tips on the differential in mid-corner to achieve the best rotation in all sectors.
On lap 20, Carlos Sainz is called into the pits. In his case, Ferrari decides to mount a new set of yellow-banded Pirellis. When the Spaniard returns to the Belgian track, he leaves the first position, rejoining in ninth place behind Lando Norris’s McLaren. Riccardo Adami informs him that there is no need for a slow intro, as he can start pushing fairly early from the first corners. With nine laps on the Hard tires, Bryan asks for the second tire phase update of the race, informing the Monegasque that Lando Norris is starting to manage the pace. Bozzi also compliments Charles Leclerc on his performance.
In fact, Charles Leclerc, without too many problems, is keeping a safe distance from Lewis Hamilton without losing grip on the Briton. Meanwhile, his Maranello teammate is suggested a measure regarding the pace, as after perfectly completing the hysteresis cycle of the yellow-banded tire, he can start pushing more in turn 10. Another pit stop for Charles, who is using a two-stop strategy. On lap 25, with 19 laps remaining, car number 16 mounts the Hard tires to go until the end of the race.
The Ferrari driver starts pushing again, placing himself in seventh position. To avoid the undercut, Lewis also makes his stop, and when he returns to the track, he is behind Carlos Sainz but ahead of Charles Leclerc. Ferrari’s opportunity to hold off Lewis Hamilton presents itself. We’ll see if the Spaniard can disturb his race. Riccardo Adami indeed asks him to defend maximally from the Englishman’s attack before making his stop a few laps later. However, Carlos doesn’t seem to agree and calls for an immediate stop. The Italian pit wall acknowledges and accepts his request.
Carlos Sainz’s tires are changed to a new set of white-banded Pirellis, placing him eighth behind Norris when he returns to the track. It is quite clear that Carlos Sainz has thought (rightly) solely about his race without indirectly helping his Ferrari teammate. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc continues to keep pace with Lewis Hamilton. The two have extremely similar pace, and the Englishman retains the advantage of better exploiting the high-speed sections. Besides chasing Lewis, the Ferrari driver has to watch his mirrors.
In addition to Oscar Piastri about two seconds behind, Verstappen is going very fast in this last part of the race and is currently about 8 seconds away. Moreover, somewhat surprisingly, the race leader remains Russell, who, unlike his garage mate, has chosen to make only one stop. McLaren number 81 is approaching, while Mercedes number 44 is progressively building a small gap. It’s not an easy moment for Charles, who is allowed to start pushing more in certain corners. Oscar is now in the slipstream of the Ferrari.
The Australian’s first attempt in turn 5 is unsuccessful thanks to Leclerc’s tough defense. Shortly after, opening on the radio, he asks if he should fight Piastri to the maximum. The pit wall suggests a “normal” opposition, so on the next lap, the McLaren passes in turn 5. Bryan Bozzi indeed reminded that Max Verstappen was coming, and the possibility of catching Hamilton had not disappeared. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz remains behind Sergio Perez, occupying 8th place. It’s not an exciting race for him, but he still has the satisfaction of passing Checo, moving to seventh place.
Lap 38 of 44, Max also arrives in the Ferrari’s slipstream. Charles Leclerc is pushing really hard to get the most out of his SF-24. However, the reigning world champion’s pace is better, and with 4 laps to go, the battle becomes very tight. Fortunately, Red Bull’s choice to switch back to the more loaded wing has severely limited Max Verstappen’s overtaking possibilities. Despite having more pace, passing the Ferrari was not possible for him.
On the other hand, Ferrari suffered the same problem with Mercedes and Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, which were much faster on the straight. An unexpected race because Geroge Russell wins on track, completing a 34-lap stint on the Hard tires. It was thought that Lewis Hamilton, with 16 fewer laps on his tires, could beat him, but the Englishman was superb in tire management. Third place on track for Oscar Piastri, who shows superior maturity compared to a messy Norris. For Charles Leclerc, there’s the bitter satisfaction of keeping Verstappen behind, securing fourth place on track, which then because a podium finish after George Russell was disqualified for underweight car.
Regarding Ferrari’s strategy, the first pit call is questionable because perhaps it would have been better to let Sergio Perez, who had executed the undercut, pass. For the rest, it must be said that the hard tire worked very well on the Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc replicating Lewis Hamilton’s times for much of the race. Nonetheless, the Ferrari did not have the pace to win, missing something. In fact, he was overtaken on track by Mercedes and McLaren, which is where the chance to win was lost. A decent race for Carlos Sainz, seventh and then sixth in the final standings, ahead of the second Red Bull that started ahead of him.
