Belgian GP: Russell and Hamilton pull off shock Mercedes 1-2
No one had expected Mercedes to take control of the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, but George Russell and Lewis Hamilton delivered a shock 1-2 for the team in a race that saw all four top teams very closely matched.
Oscar Piastri joined the pair on the podium, with pole sitter Charles Leclerc waning in the closing laps and losing touch with the McLaren but just able to hold off Max Verstappen on his recovery bid from P11 on the grid.
Verstappen in turn was able to thwart late attacks from Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, while Sergio Perez fell to P8 in a race that saw only one technical retirement for Zhou Guanyu, and no crashes or safety cars.
After Saturday's wet final practice and qualifying, it was back to sunshine at Spa-Francorchamps for the race with no expectation of rain to complicate things for the teams and drivers as they headed to the grid, led by Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez. Max Verstappen had been fastest in qualifying but a ten-place grid penalty for a new engine meant he lined up in P11.
When the lights went out, Leclerc converted pole into an early lead. Lewis Hamilton probed down the inside of La Source to pick off Perez, while Lando Norris went wide and troubled the gravel which cost him positions, promoting Oscar Piastri to fourth ahead of George Russell and Carlos Sainz. The Ferrari who was the only car in the top ten starting on hard tyres rather than mediums. Verstappen had already gained two places from Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon, and Fernando Alonso was next to fall to the Red Bull on lap 2 leaving Norris the next target.
Norris made an early attack on Sainz when DRS was enabled but he wasn't able to pull off the pass. Hamilton had more luck, pulling alongside Leclerc down the Kemmel Straight to take the lead on lap 3. Further back, Zhou Guanyu was the first and only retirement on lap 6 with a hydraulic issue after reporting a loss of power on his Sauber.
DRS trains and tyre management meant the race entered a brief period of stasis as Hamilton extended his lead on Leclerc to over two seconds. The first scheduled stop was Nico Hulkenberg on lap 7, followed next time around by Daniel Ricciardo who alone had started on the soft compound albeit with little pay off. Next was a double-stacking stop for Williams pair Albon and Logan Sargeant.
Stuck behind Norris, Verstappen was called in for service on lap 11 at the same time as Russell. The Red Bull service wasn't one of the quickest and won't make their season show reel, Verstappen feeding back out in P14. Both Russell and Verstappen were quick to dispatch Tsunoda, and Russell acted decisively to take care of Kevin Magnussen who had opted to start on hard tyres.
Hamilton, Perez and Piastri were all in on lap 12 briefly handing the lead to Leclerc who went a lap longer. Sainz now reaped the rewards of starting on hards to take command of the race ahead of Norris who was also yet to stop, followed by Hamilton, Leclerc, Piastri, Perez, Russell and Verstappen. Norris extended to lap 16 but came back out just behind Verstappen in P8.
Sainz and Magnussen were the only drivers yet to pit. By now even their initial sets of hard tyres were struggling, Sainz sliding into the gravel as he battled to keep a four second lead over Hamilton. Magnussen pitted on lap 21 and Ferrari called in Sainz next time by, dropping him to eighth behind Norris.
Verstappen had been unable to make a move on Russell. Instead it was Russell who used DRS to blast past Perez down the Kemmel Straight. Perez was then conveniently boxed by Red Bull to free up Verstappen to give chase to the Mercedes, However he had Norris on fresher tyres looming in his rear view mirror, the McLaren pushing so hard it overran the bus stop chicane on lap 24.
There was a second stop for Leclerc on lap 26 for a new set of hards in an attempt to undercut Hamilton, but a slow service wasn't what he was hoping for. Hamilton reacted immediately on the next lap, and duly came back out just ahead of the Monegasque. That released Piastri at the front who rejoiced that "clean air is king!"
Sainz had not liked the mediums and was back in to the pits after just seven laps. Verstappen was also in for his second service and was back out in P7 - on the mediums. Would the Red Bull fare better? Norris responded, opting for the hard compound and coming back out behind the Red Bull.
Piastri was in on lap 31 but locked up and overshot his pit box. Russell now inherited the lead over Hamilton and Leclerc and told the team he was happy to stay out on a one-stop gambit. Piastri was now fourth, with Verstappen ushered past Perez for P5; Perez' job was to hold up Norris, but that proved a very brief and unequal battle.
Russell strained to make his one-stop strategy work, as Hamilton chased him down. Leclerc was desperately fending off Piastri; Verstappen was under threat from Norris; and Perez was fighting to stay ahead of Sainz for eighth. Rarely have there been such pitched battles among the top teams.
Piastri finally made his move on Leclerc at Les Combes on lap 36 and took off after the Mercedes pair. Russell grimly held on to the lead and Hamilton ran out of time to seize the win - or perhaps opted not to risk the Mercedes lockout. Piastri in turn could find no way past Hamilton and had to settle for the final podium spot from Leclerc, Verstappen, Norris and Sainz. Perez was eighth after a late extra stop for softs to clinch the bonus point for fastest lap.
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