A meager 1.5 kg separated Mercedes from reveling in a flawless Belgian GP weekend. George Russell’s bold strategy call for a 1-stop race saw him cross the chequered flag to take the crown of Spa with teammate Lewis Hamilton reluctantly accepting P2. But his victory was as temporary as an F1 car’s pit lane presence during a pit stop. During the post-race FIA checks, the 26-year-old’s W15 was 1.5 kg below the minimum car weight of 798 kg. The stewards disqualified him and Hamilton inherited the win, which was initially his to take if not for Russell’s 1-stop.

After this announcement, the 7-time champion’s heartfelt statement for his ‘heartbroken’ teammate drew close confidante Serena Williams’ attention. Icons of their sports, Williams and Hamilton, have been close friends forever. In 2023, the Mercedes driver revealed how “lonely” it can be at the “top of your sport”. But conversing with 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams was where he found solace. The former American Olympian, who is making headlines for gracing the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, cheered for her friend’s success remotely.

After Russell’s disqualification, Hamilton penned a sweet post for him and Mercedes on Instagram: “Mixed feelings for today’s result. Obviously happy to get the win but I feel for George and it’s disappointing for the team not to get the 1-2.” Humbly accepting his victory, he also appreciated the team’s efforts to propel themselves to the top spot, saying, “A lot of positives to take from today, though. At the start of the weekend, we didn’t expect to be at the front or the pace we had, so it’s great to see just how much progress has been made and that we are in the fight. We take all these positives with us into the break and will come back a stronger team ready to keep the momentum going.”

Taking to the comments section, Serena Williams quite succinctly lauded his success. Encapsulating her emotions in an emoji-only message, she wrote: “👏👏👏👏👏👏”. This isn’t how Hamilton would’ve envisioned himself winning the Belgian for the 5th time, but loving messages from his friends and fans made up for it. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff’s reaction was also quite heartening.

Toto Wolff labels Lewis Hamilton the “deserving winner” at Spa

George Russell cannot catch a break; the future Mercedes lead driver took two pole positions in 2024, only to lose it both times. He emerged victorious in Austria, but that too didn’t feel deserved enough because he inherited P1 when the Top 2 collided. Finally, when all these events culminated in a masterclass at the Belgian GP, Mercedes’ “mistake in their calculations”, as Red Bull boss Christian Horner described it, cost him.

Even though Russell got disqualified despite taking a deserved victory, Lewis Hamilton fans felt otherwise. Because the 7-time champion lost the race lead after Mercedes agreed to Russell’s 1-stop suggestion, the LH army believes their hero was robbed. Eventually, their wishes were granted. Though Toto Wolff apologized to his younger driver, he emphasized how his Ferrari-bound champ deserved P1.

“We will go away, evaluate what happened, and understand what went wrong. To lose a 1-2 is frustrating and we can only apologize to George, who drove such a strong race,” the Austrian said at Spa, adding, “Lewis is, of course, promoted to P1. He was the fastest guy on the two-stop and is a deserving winner. Despite the disqualification, there are many positives we can take from this weekend.”

The Silver Arrows have won three of the last four races. When F1 returns to the Netherlands after the summer break, Mercedes will look to double down on this momentum. However, toppling the reigning champion, Max Verstappen, on his home turf would be a mammoth task. If nothing, at least, this controversy will be behind them. However, changing how Hamilton fans view Mercedes might be right back on their PR agenda.