Imagine this, cars racing through Eau Rouge and Raidillon of Spa Francorchamps on full throttle. The floors of the beastly machines spitting out sparks as they hit the kerbs. But could you have imagined what panned out in the race today? Lewis Hamilton, who qualified third, leapfrogged to first as Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc couldn’t handle the pressure from a 7x champion. The 39-year-old led the race, the round 14th of the Formula 1 championship, until George Russell pulled out a master class. Behind them, their engine customers also suffered a similar fate when the driver, who qualified ahead of his teammate, succumbed to the pressures of the opening lap. Here is what happened.

George Russell’s strategic call deprived Lewis Hamilton of a Grand Prix win

George Russell won the Belgian Grand Prix in the most outstanding manner, which will go down in the history books. He made a bold strategy call and nursed his tires to keep the greatest of all time at bay on 34-lap old tires. While most of the field opted for a two-stop race, Russell took a gamble by making just one visit to the pits on Lap 10. This meant that he was attempting to nurse his aging hard tires as the Grand Prix entered its final stint.

With three laps to go, Hamilton closed right onto the back of Russell, but despite getting agonizingly close, the senior Briton was unable to make the overtake. Eventually, Russell crossed the line just half a second ahead to take the third F1 victory of his career and deprive Lewis of his 105th. But all might not be well for George Russell and Mercedes, as he is currently under investigation. Car number 63 was found 1.5 kilograms underweight, and the matter has been forwarded to Stewards for investigation.

Note: Even if George loses his first place in the race, nobody can take away the tire-whispering skills he stunned the world with.

Meanwhile, for McLaren, the Belgian GP was a mixed bag.

Lando Norris once again succumbs to pressure as Oscar Piastri takes third place

The year 2012 was when Formula 1 came alive, giving us more than half a dozen different race winners. One never really saw such an exciting season again up until 2024. With 14 races and 7 different race winners, this season has been like a dream of every F1 fan. Because who likes a one-man show? A new team that hasn’t been a part of the Big 3 (Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes) in the past decades, is the fastest one this year but they have been succumbing to their own vices and mindset that is still stuck in midfield.

Last weekend was so dramatic for McLaren that the antagonist of it, Lando Norris, came into the weekend vowing to handle pressure better. But the 24-year-old, who started one place ahead of his teammate, lost multiple positions at the start whilst Oscar Piastri kept gaining until the end to finish three places ahead of him.

It is clear that the race start hasn’t been Lando’s strong suit this year as others seem to have gained more from his poles and front-row starts. Though this time around, he didn’t have either, the intense battle in the run-up to turn 1 turned out nightmarish for him. On the other hand, McLaren’s prodigal son Piastri kept his cool and ended the place in a close third.

Update: According to reports, George Russell has been stripped of the win as his car was found underweight. Lewis Hamilton is now promoted to 1st, Oscar Piastri to 2nd, and Charles Leclerc to 3rd.