2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Norris ‘not feeling super comfortable’ despite leading McLaren one-two in Belgian GP practice.
Lando Norris has admitted that he was far from comfortable aboard his McLaren during the first day of practice for the Belgian Grand Prix, despite the Briton topping the timesheets over team mate Oscar Piastri.
18:56 Fri, 26 Jul 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Norris built on a P8 finish in the opening FP1 session to lead the way during FP2, clocking a best time of 1m 42.260s around the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit and winding up 0.215s clear of Piastri, and a further 0.002s up on Red Bull rival Max Verstappen.

Asked to reflect on his first day of running when he hopped out of the car, Norris initially commented: “Good. Still tough, still close. Red Bull are very quick at the minute. It’s tricky… I’ve just not felt very comfortable today with the car. I hope I just wake up tomorrow and feel a bit more comfortable with it!”

“But we’ll try and improve a few things and see again. I know it looked good on the timesheets, but I’ve not felt super comfortable in just going out and doing it, so hopefully I can just get in a bit more of a rhythm and feel a bit better out there.”

‘Not feeling super comfortable’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...zvG9laK9NbwBFS


Belgian GP race simulations: McLaren inter-team fight expected, Mercedes praying for a miracle
McLaren look set for another dominant weekend at the 2024 Belgian GP
26 July 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri could be set for another F1 showdown at the 2024 Belgian GP as race simulations show them comfortably faster than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, with serious concerns for Mercedes. It was a clean Friday through Free Practice 1 and 2 on July 26, leaving the drivers with the perfect chance to run through their programs and it’s in the long-run simulations where the McLaren look impervious to their rivals.

Medium Long Runs
Oscar Piastri average: 1:49.200 (eight laps). Fastest: 1:47.798.
Max Verstappen average: 1:49.533 (eight laps). Fastest: 1:48.316.
Carlos Sainz average: 1:49.829 (nine laps). Fastest: 1:48.962.
Sergio Perez average: 1:50.247 (12 laps). Fastest: 1:49.025.
George Russell average: 1:50.667 (11 laps). Fastest: 1:49.726.
Soft Long Runs
Lando Norris average: 1:49.295 (five laps). Fastest: 1:47.971.
Charles Leclerc average: 1:50.795 (eight laps). Fastest: 1:49.525.
Lewis Hamilton average: 1:50.797 (nine laps). Fastest: 1:49.143.

Big concerns for Mercedes in Belgian GP simulations: As you might have sussed from the lap times above, Mercedes do not look particularly quick in 2024 Belgian GP race simulations in a bitterly disappointing start to the weekend where they’ve introduced new upgrades including revised floor edges, a diffuser and circuit-specific front-wings. However, based on the fastest laps of each driver, they do not seem to be playing with the same toys at their disposal. Mercedes also saved the hard tyres and didn’t touch them at all, so could they be preparing solely for the long run?

‘Belgian GP race simulations’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/bel...for-a-miracle/


Mercedes drivers unhappy with the W15's performance at Spa
27 Jul 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Following a series of strong results in recent rounds, Mercedes appear to have lack pace to the field-leading McLaren and Red Bull at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Russell commented: "It is always nice to be here at Spa-Francorchamps and getting to drive a car in anger around this incredible circuit. The resurfaced tarmac has also made it extra fast this year. We’ve got some work to do overnight to find some lap time.

"The McLarens and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen looked to be a step ahead of us today. We need to dig through the data and put in the work in the simulator at Brackley to hopefully unearth some gains and get closer to them. I’m sure we can do that. Tomorrow will definitely be a very different day if we are able to do so. The forecast is also for rain tomorrow so that will add another factor into the mix. We have often had good Fridays and the others have caught up come Saturday, so hopefully it will be us doing that this weekend."

His team-mate Lewis Hamilton looked strong on Pirelli's medium tyres, but he was unable to extract everything from the soft rubber during his qualifying simulation. "Today wasn’t our best day as the car wasn’t feeling particularly strong. FP1 wasn’t great and we worked on some changes for FP2. That initially improved the balance and it felt good, but once we put the Soft tyre on we struggled more. It was definitely an improvement overall, but others took a step forward to too. We’ve got some time to find overnight, and we will be aiming to do so.”

‘Unhappy with the W15's performance’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/25114


Lewis Hamilton casts alarming ‘completely different’ Mercedes W15 verdict after ‘pretty bad day’
26 Jul 2024
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

And Hamilton told the Formula 1 website after FP2 that it was a “pretty bad day”, revealing a “completely different” feeling with the W15 compared to recent successful outings. “It was a pretty bad day,” Hamilton admitted. “I don’t really know what to say. Obviously it has been feeling great in the past couple of races. That just felt completely different today.”

“So we worked on it. The first session was, not great. But then in the second session we made some changes and it started off great, and then, when I got to the soft tyre I just couldn’t improve and there was a bunch of balance issues we had throughout the lap. But it was better in this session. But, everyone else went even better. So to be 1.2 seconds behind is not great.”

‘Alarming ‘completely different’ Mercedes W15 verdict’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...-different-spa


Belgian GP data reveals promising numbers for McLaren and Max Verstappen’s comeback
26 Jul 2024
Pablo Hidalgo
PlanetF1.com

Friday’s Free Practice sessions at the Formula 1 2024 Belgian Grand Prix has left us with several clues and many doubts ahead of Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race at Spa-Francorchamps. McLaren has struck the first blow, but Red Bull hasn’t been left behind. With a 10-place grid penalty, Max Verstappen will have to qualify well to make a comeback on Sunday — but the possibility of a win isn’t out of the question.

McLaren are the favourites for the race if dry conditions hold. The papaya team has so far been very solid on both single-lap pace and long-run race pace. Verstappen’s aforementioned penalty should give his rival outfit a great chance of another 1-2 on Sunday. And although we don’t know the fuel load and engine map used by each driver, we can see certain trends in the laps of Verstappen and Norris.

The Red Bull driver was quickest in the high and medium speed corners, while Norris dominated in the low speed corners. The second sector, where top speed and engine is less important, is McLaren’s territory. If we analyse the performance of the drivers in two key Spa corners such as Pouhon (Turn 10) and Blanchimont (Turn 17), we can again see this trend where Red Bull outperforms McLaren in the fast corners.

‘Promising numbers’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/be...appen-comeback


Verstappen ‘open-minded’ on F1 Belgian GP despite grid drop
27 Jul 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Max Verstappen is remaining “open-minded” regarding his chances in Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix, despite conceding his grid drop has complicated his prospects. Verstappen will incur a 10-place grid drop, meaning that the highest he can start the 44-lap encounter will be 11th should he manage to seize pole position.

“I knew of course that it is coming,” Verstappen addressed prior to the weekend’s action commencing. “It’s not a surprise to me.” Verstappen has accepted grid penalties at Spa in the previous two seasons, but surged through from 14th in 2022 to win and then replicated that from sixth last term.

“We’ll find out on Sunday how good that is going to be, right?” Verstappen quipped. “Some tracks naturally are a bit better than others. Of course on a street circuit, you wouldn’t want to have an engine penalty.” Asked whether he considered eighth place the maximum in the race, he stated: “I hope a little bit more, but let’s see. I don’t know, it’s difficult to predict at the moment.”

“Open-minded”;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...ite-grid-drop/

[Fortitude]

What happened in final Belgian GP F1 practice.
A wet final Formula 1 practice of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend was headed by reigning champion Max Verstappen, with Lance Stroll's crash the main event of the 60-minute session.
Jul 27, 2024
by Valentin Khorounzhiy
The Race

With the track already wet to begin practice and rain picking up in the early minutes, Stroll was caught out coming through Eau Rouge, trying to correct a massive snap and heading into the run-off at speed.

His Aston Martin spun there and eventually met the outside barrier with its left front, snapping the suspension but seemingly leaving the rest of the AMR24 unscathed as Stroll parked it at the start of the Kemmel straight.

That crash, coming just past the 11-minute mark, brought out the red flag.

‘Wet final Formula 1 practice’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/b...-stroll-crash/


Belgian GP: Free Practice 3 Results
27 July 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Free Practice 3 from the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff

1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 4 2:01.565

2 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 4 2:02.998 1.433

3 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 5 2:03.175 1.610

4 4 Lando Norris McLaren 4 2:03.372 1.807

5 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine 7 2:05.250 3.685

6 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 4 2:06.033 4.468

7 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 4 2:06.037 4.472

8 77 Valtteri Bottas Sauber 7 2:06.492 4.927

9 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 3 2:06.751 5.186

10 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 3 2:07.103 5.538

‘Full results from Free Practice 3’;

https://speedcafe.com/belgian-gp-fre...ice-3-results/


2024 Belgian GP FP3: Red flag at Spa after Stroll spins and hits the wall at Raidillon
27 July 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

With rain falling at Spa in final practice, Lance Stroll spun at the top of the hill of the Raidillon corner after Eau Rouge and hit the wall on the left hand side, damaging the his Aston Martin to trigger a red flag.

‘Spins and hits the wall at Raidillon’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/20...30235309590613


Heavy rain concern in Belgian GP weather update
The drivers are set for a wet Free Practice 3 and qualifying ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
27 July 2024
Nick Golding & Ian Parkes
RacingNews365

Free Practice 3 and qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix are set to be conducted in very wet conditions, with rain having started to fall ahead of the final practice session. A challenging day awaits the drivers with rain clouds having suddenly formed over Spa-Francorchamps in the closing stages of a Porsche support race.

The F3 sprint race was conducted in a mix of dry and damp conditions, before rain suddenly fell in the closing laps for the Porsches. According to the FIA, there is a 100% chance of moderate rain showers for FP3, with this forecast having worsened in the last hour. Earlier this morning, only a 60% chance of light rain was forecast.

There is a concerning 80% chance of very heavy showers ahead of and during qualifying, which could result in a mixed-up grid and potential delays to the session.

‘Heavy rain concern’;

https://racingnews365.com/heavy-rain...weather-update


Verstappen heads washed out final practice at F1 Belgian GP
27 July 2024
Motorsport Week

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen harboured more than a one-second gap over his nearest rival during a washed-out third practice session at Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix. A substantial deluge prior to the session soaked the track and meant that Intermediates were in use across the entire field as the drivers ventured out onto the circuit.

Despite enduring a wide moment at Turn 8 as he navigated a treacherous track, Verstappen headed the initial times with a 2:01.565s, 1,433s faster than Oscar Piastri. The showers had increased and over 10 minutes in proceedings were brought to a sudden halt as Lance Stroll lost control going up Eau Rouge and span into the wall.

‘More than a one-second gap’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...f1-belgian-gp/

[Fortitude]

Max Verstappen fastest but Charles Leclerc takes Belgian GP pole on penalties in sodden qualifying.
Max Verstappen misses out on Belgian GP pole for the third successive year despite beating Charles Leclerc in qualifying.
27 July 2024
Adam Dickinson
Total Motorsport

Charles Leclerc profited from Max Verstappen‘s engine penalty to secure pole position in 2024 Belgian Gand Prix qualifying, as a soaking qualifying failed to provide a major shake-up of the grid.

Verstappen was in a class of his own in the country of his birth, more than half a second ahead of Leclerc and the rest of his rivals, but will start eleventh between Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly with an engine change costing him pole position in Spa for the third year running.

On those two previous occasions he’s advanced through the field to take victory, and he believes a three-peat is possible despite admitting Red Bull ‘haven’t been making it easy on ourselves’ in recent grand prix.

‘Max Verstappen fastest’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/max...et-qualifying/


Belgian GP: Qualifying Results
Full results from Qualifying from the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.
28 July 2024
Mat Coch
PlanetF1.com

Full results from Qualifying from the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

Pos Num Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Diff

1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:54.938 1:53.837 1:53.159

2 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:55.349 1:54.193 1:53.754 0.595

3 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:55.139 1:54.470 1:53.765 0.606

4 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:55.692 1:54.037 1:53.835 0.676

5 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:55.582 1:54.358 1:53.981 0.822

6 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:54.835 1:54.136 1:54.027 0.868

7 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:55.353 1:54.095 1:54.184 1.025

8 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1:55.169 1:54.112 1:54.477 1.318

9 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:55.489 1:54.258 1:54.765 1.606

10 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:55.417 1:54.460 1:54.810 1.651

‘Full results from Qualifying’;

https://speedcafe.com/belgian-gp-qualifying-results/


F1 starting grid: What is the grid order for the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix?
27 Jul 2024
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Max Verstappen dominated Belgian Grand Prix qualifying, but it is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on pole at Spa.

2024 Belgian Grand Prix grid
1. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
2. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
3. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
4. Lando Norris, McLaren
5. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
6. George Russell, Mercedes
7. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
8. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
9. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
10. Alex Albon, Williams

‘F1 starting grid’

https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-sta...ian-grand-prix


Verstappen dominates damp Spa qualifying, Leclerc on pole
2024 Belgian GP qualifying report
27th July 2024
Will Wood
RaceFans.net

Max Verstappen set the quickest time in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix but Charles Leclerc will start from pole position. For the second year in a row at Spa, Verstappen set the fastest time in Q3 but will drop positions on the grid because of a penalty. Instead, Leclerc will take pole with Sergio Perez starting alongside him on the front row in second place, just as they did in 2023.

‘Verstappen dominates’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/07/27/...clerc-on-pole/


Verstappen eyeing 'luck' to overcome Belgian GP threat
Max Verstappen will start the Belgian Grand Prix from 11th on the starting grid after taking a penalty at the race.
27 July 2024
Fergal Walsh
RacingNews365

As he seeks to take his first race win since the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen hinted he is expecting a challenging race starting in the midfield. “We are not making it easy on ourselves, and especially, of course, in the battle that we're in,” Verstappen.

“I know that today was a great day, but it's in the wet. We need to be quick in the dry tomorrow. It's going to be a tough battle. We'll try to do the best we can. Hopefully, we can battle with the Ferraris and Mercedes' ahead. If we have a bit of luck, maybe we can challenge the McLarens.”

‘11th on the starting grid’;

https://racingnews365.com/verstappen...gian-gp-threat


Charles Leclerc starts from pole at Belgian GP as Max Verstappen quickest in qualifying
Jul 27, 2024
Laurence Edmondson
ESPN.co.uk

Leclerc said after qualifying: "Exactly the same [result as last year] -- it's good, I definitely did not expect that this weekend with the tricky conditions. We could do something about our expectations, so it's a good day for the team and we need to focus on tomorrow and see what we can happen when the rain is gone.

"Without this rain, probably P5 was the position we were fighting for with Mercedes especially but obviously with the rain it helped us a little bit. I'm not going to complain, I'm really happy with my lap in Q3 and it's good to be back on the front part of the grid." Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez will start from second on the grid, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in third and the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in fourth and fifth.

Perez said afterwards: "I think P2 is probably the best position we can wish for in Spa, it was the same with Charles last year, so I will try again tomorrow to do the same and it's a long race ahead of us -- it looks like it's going to be dry. Every weekend is a new opportunity to do better and tomorrow is a new opportunity is a new day to go for that win."

“A good day for the team and we need to focus on tomorrow”;

https://www.espn.co.uk/f1/report?id=600041146


Belgian GP: Max Verstappen quickest but Charles Leclerc takes pole, hope for Perez
27 Jul 2024
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Max Verstappen reasserted his authority over the chasing pack as the Red Bull driver set the fastest time in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Pix by 0.595s. He, however, won’t start on pole position due to an engine penalty with Charles Leclerc elevated to P1 ahead of Sergio Perez. A lucky escape for Sergio Perez in Q2: Hamilton put in a late charge to go second behind Verstappen, Russell third. As for Perez, he snuck through in 10th place by 0.003s. Out went Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas and Stroll.

With more rain forecast for Q3: Hamilton laid down the opening marker, a 1:54.0, with Piastri second ahead of Russell and Norris. But their times were blitzed by Red Bull as Perez, on used tyres, went P1 before Verstappen went even faster – a 1:53.159! Putting in a second run, Leclerc overhauled Perez to go second but was still 0.595 down on Verstappen who did not improve his time. Perez, down in the middle sector, pitted instead of completing his flying lap.

‘Max Verstappen reasserted his authority’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/belgia...lifying-report


Max Verstappen singles out Red Bull mechanics after breaking Belgian Grand Prix curfew
Red Bull breached Belgian Grand Prix curfew rules before Max Verstappen took to the track.
Jul 27, 2024
Jack McEachen
Daily and Sunday Express

Max Verstappen thanked his Red Bull mechanics for going the extra mile after they breached the Belgian Grand Prix's curfew on Friday evening, before the Dutchman went fastest during qualifying the following day.

"Well done everyone and thank you to the mechanics for working so late, last lap, great job, thank you very much," Verstappen said over his team radio after breezing through qualifying, though he had pole position taken away from him due to a 10-place grid penalty.

‘Max Verstappen thanked his Red Bull mechanics’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...gian-GP-curfew

[Fortitude]

Leclerc vs Perez, and Verstappen’s charge from P11 – What To Watch For in the Belgian Grand Prix.
From four different teams in the top four places to Max Verstappen fighting back through the field from a grid penalty; and from plenty of overtaking opportunities to a weather forecast…
27 Jul 2024
Chris Medland
Special Contributor
Formula One - Official Site

From four different teams in the top four places to Max Verstappen fighting back through the field from a grid penalty; and from plenty of overtaking opportunities to a weather forecast you can never be certain of, here are five key aspects to monitor during Sunday’s race at Spa-Francorchamps…

1. Leclerc vs Perez off the front row: Given recent form and the way qualifying was panning out for a spell, to have a front row of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez was somewhat of a surprise. Leclerc will start from pole for the first time since Monaco, while Perez was last in the top two in China.

‘What To Watch For’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...7CyQebJc8TUJym


Leclerc taken aback by pole position as he expected Ferrari to fight for third row
28 Jul 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Leclerc commented: “It’s good. I mean I definitely did not expect that this weekend. Obviously with the tricky conditions we could do something above our expectations – it’s a good day for the team. Now we need to focus on tomorrow and see what will happen whenever the rain is gone.”

He continued: “I think without this rain probably P5 was the position we were fighting for with the Mercedes especially. Obviously with the rain it helped us a little bit, but I’m not going to complain. I’m really happy… I’m very happy with the lap in Q3 and it’s good to be back on the front part of the grid, but now we’ve got to finalise that tomorrow.”

”It’s not the easiest first place to keep on the first lap here, but honestly I will see,” he said. “Every start is different and once I’ll be in the car tomorrow through Eau Rouge I’ll decide what’s the best thing I can do, but obviously I’ll try to keep that first place.”

‘Taken aback’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/25132


Leclerc ‘definitely did not expect’ Spa qualifying result after going second quickest and inheriting P1
27 Jul 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Charles Leclerc was in high spirits after qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, with the Ferrari driver pulling a lap out of the bag to initially claim second on the grid – which becomes pole position due to Max Verstappen’s engine penalty. “I’m really happy… I’m very happy with the lap in Q3 and it’s good to be back on the front part of the grid, but now we’ve got to finalise that tomorrow.”

Leclerc’s first challenge on Sunday will be trying to keep hold of P1 on the opening lap, with Spa offering cars behind an opportunity to slipstream on the run to Eau Rouge and pull off an overtake along the Kemmel Straight.

‘Definitely did not expect’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...7irOVglYcjUH9F


Charles: “Continue with the work we started in Hungary”
27 Jul 2024
Ferrari - Official Site

Charles Leclerc firmly believes that Scuderia Ferrari HP is back on track after a few races that didn’t live up to expectations. “I think the race in Budapest confirmed that we are back on the right road. We know there’s still a lot of work to do but we have a clear idea what is needed. As soon as we get some updates I believe we will be able to fight for the win, but for the moment we have to focus on ourselves and maximise the potential of the package we have now.”

‘Back on track’;

https://www.ferrari.com/en-GB/formul...-media-leclerc


HEAD-TO-HEAD: See where Leclerc had the edge over Perez in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix
27 Jul 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Watch to see how Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Sergio Perez compared in qualifying at the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix. Leclerc will inherit pole after a penalty for Max Verstappen, while Perez was third quickest but will start second.

‘HEAD-TO-HEAD’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/he...55060130273693


Sergio Perez drops potential major clue on Red Bull future with rare front-row start secured
27 Jul 2024
Jamie Woodhouse
PlanetF1.com

Asked by media including PlanetF1.com how satisfied he is with that qualifying performance, considering all the noise regarding his Red Bull future, Perez replied: “From my point of view, it doesn’t change anything. “I’ve always said it’s not where we are now, it’s how you ride the waves and where we finish in Abu Dhabi.”

“I mean, there are a lot of drivers that haven’t been able to maximize their performance lately, but obviously, there’s continuity on my side, it has been quite a bit higher. It doesn’t change anything from my point of view. I think tomorrow is a new day, a new opportunity. It will have been the same if I was knocked out in Q2, you know, tomorrow’s a new opportunity to do better and it’s the way I see it. It’s tomorrow what really counts.”

“And if I don’t have a good race tomorrow, I will try to have a good one in Zandvoort. But it’s how it is, this is a sport and sometimes it goes your way, sometimes you have to fight and nothing goes in your direction. But I think it’s just the nature of this. And it’s still a long way to go in the season. So yeah, just head down. And I think like I’ve said before, the team, myself, are focusing on what we’ve got to do. At the end of the day, it’s getting the most points we possibly can. And the rest, couldn’t care less to be honest.”

‘Tomorrow is a new day, a new opportunity’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio...bull-zandvoort


Piastri expects Perez to fight hard “for his own sake”
Oscar Piastri expects Sergio Perez to defend hard following his best qualifying result since China.
28 July 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

“Obviously we're in a fight with Red Bull in the constructors', and Max is leading the world championship in the drivers' standings,” Piastri observed. “So of course I expect Checo [Perez] to put up a fight, I think even for his own sake. It's not been the easiest run for him and I think of course, more than anyone, he probably wants a really good result for himself. So I think he'll fight hard for it, but I don't think any harder than he would if it was another situation.”

Lewis Hamilton will join Norris on the second row, with the Brit confident McLaren has the pace to clear the trio of cars he starts behind. “I wouldn't say a concern,” Norris said of the potential for Perez to prove a roadblock. For our race against Max, we have to get past all of them.”

“I know Checo potentially will have a bit more of a defensive mindset than the others, but Charles is still fighting off pole and for a win, so he's going to be fighting hard for it – he's not just going to let things go easily. Same with Hamilton. He's always going to be aggressive and defensive when he needs to be.”

‘Sergio Perez to fight hard’;

https://speedcafe.com/piastri-expect...-his-own-sake/


Perez impresses in qualifying, but knows race day is what counts
27 Jul 2024
The Straits Times

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium - Red Bull's Sergio Perez put in an impressive drive in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday, where he will start on the front row, but he knows it is all about what happens on race day that is important for a driver who needs to score points.

"From my point of view, it doesn't change anything. You know, I've always said it's not where we are now, it's how you ride the waves and where we finish in Abu Dhabi," Perez said. "I think tomorrow is a new day, a new opportunity. It would have been the same if I was knocked out in Q2. Tomorrow is a new opportunity to do better. And the way I see it, it's tomorrow that really counts."

With three-time world champion and current leader Verstappen starting 11th on the grid, Red Bull will be looking to Perez to make a good start on Sunday, and perhaps claim his first win of the season. We'll see, you know, it's a very long race ahead of us. I think tomorrow degradation will be quite tricky, and graining with this new tarmac," Perez said. "I think there are a lot of unknowns still, but I've got a good feeling for tomorrow, so we'll see."

‘Race day is what counts’;

https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/f...is-what-counts

[Fortitude]

George Russell beats Lewis Hamilton to win Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.
Charles Leclerc started on pole but eventually finished fourth behind Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri in second and third respectively.
28 July 2024
• Mercedes star George Russell won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa on Sunday
• Russell's one-stop strategy worked a treat as he won from sixth on the grid
• Lewis Hamilton had to settle for second place behind his Mercedes team-mate
Henry Clark
MailOnline

Fortune favours the bold and for George Russell, the bravest of calls delivered the very sweetest of rewards. With 12 laps to go, the question came from Mercedes to Russell. Having stopped on lap 10, would Russell risk it all by switching to a one-stop strategy, just as all his rivals dived back into the pits for a second time? The answer came loud and clear. Russell chose to stick, rather than twist.

His team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, looked set to be the beneficiary of that call. On fresher tyres, he looked to be holding all of the aces. But as the laps counted down, Russell stood firm all the way to the chequered flag to cap a brilliant drive having started sixth.

‘One-stop strategy worked brilliantly’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-Hamilton.html


Belgian GP: Race Results
29 July 2024
Speedcafe

Full results from the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff

1 63 George Russell Mercedes 44

2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 0.526

3 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1.173

4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 8.549

5 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 9.226

6 4 Lando Norris McLaren 9.85

7 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 19.795

8 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 43.195

9 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 49.963

10 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine 52.552

‘Full results’;

https://speedcafe.com/belgian-gp-race-results/


Russell storms to stunning Belgian GP victory in Mercedes one-two
George Russell banked a second victory of the season in the Belgian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri completed the podium.
28 July 2024
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

One-stopping George Russell resisted a late charge from Mercedes F1 team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages to win the Belgian Grand Prix for his second victory of the season. In a 44-lap race that featured high-levels of tyre degradation, Russell opted for the contra-strategy of a single pit-stop compared to the two-stops of the rest of the leading gaggle.

Hamilton, who had taken the lead from Charles Leclerc on lap 3 after dispatching Sergio Perez on the opening lap, was able to catch Russell, but the younger Briton held firm to earn a second grand prix victory of the year and third overall. Hamilton completed the first Mercedes one-two since Sao Paulo 2022 ahead of Oscar Piastri in the McLaren who passed pole-sitter Leclerc late on for the final podium spot.

Max Verstappen could only take fifth from 11th on the grid for Red Bull, being engaged in a battle with title rival Lando Norris for the majority of the race, with Sergio Perez seventh ahead of Carlos Sainz, who started off-strategy on the hard tyres. The points positions were rounded out by Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon

‘Mercedes one-two’;

https://racingnews365.com/russell-st...rcedes-one-two


Russell resists charging Hamilton to win enthralling Belgian Grand Prix
28th July 2024
Will Wood
RaceFans

Mercedes secured their third victory in four rounds as well as their first one-two of the season after Hamilton caught his one-stopping team mate in the closing laps but could not get by. Hamilton finished second, while Oscar Piastri claimed the final podium position in third. Max Verstappen rose from 11th on the grid to finish fifth.

At the start of the race, Leclerc converted pole position into the lead into La Source, but Lewis Hamilton managed to get by Sergio Perez to take second place. Lando Norris ran wide at the exit of La Source and lost multiple places. Hamilton stuck with Leclerc in the opening laps and managed to get a run on the Ferrari along the Kemmel Straight at the start of lap three, driving around his future team mate to take the lead into Les Combes. The Mercedes escaped to over two seconds ahead of Leclerc out front, while Perez dropped further away from Leclerc in third.

Verstappen was the first of the top cars to pit at the end of lap ten, switching from mediums to hards. Leader Hamilton pitted on the next lap, rejoining ahead of Perez and Oscar Piastri, who had also stopped. Leclerc rejoined behind Hamilton to retain his net second place, while Piastri used DRS along the Kemmel Straight to pass Perez for what was ultimately third. Carlos Sainz Jnr and Norris were the last of the leaders to pit, with Norris eventually boxing for hard tyres at the end of lap 15.

‘Russell resists charging Hamilton’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/07/28/...an-grand-prix/


George Russell holds off Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes 1-2 in emphatic Belgian GP victory
Mercedes executed their strategy to perfection to bring home maximum points for the team at Spa.
Jul 28, 2024
Joe Krishnan
Daily and Sunday Express

Mercedes celebrated an emphatic 1-2 at the Belgian Grand Prix after George Russell held off Lewis Hamilton to secure his second victory of the season ahead of. The Silver Arrows executed their pit stop strategy to perfection to allow Hamilton to protect his lead, but Russell on 34-lap-old tyres held off a charging Hamilton to clinch the win ahead of Oscar Piastri in third. Pole-sitter Charles Leclerc could only finish down in fourth.

The same top three from last year lined up on the grid again for 2024, with championship leader Max Verstappen starting down in 11th due to his 10-place grid penalty fitting a new engine. The Dutchman finished fifth ahead of Lando Norris in sixth. Hamilton got off the line quicker than Perez and held his nerve despite the Red Bull star's attempts to move over to cover him off. The seven-time world champion defended fiercely against the Mexican up to Radillon to keep P2, while Norris behind him dropped three places after dipping his McLaren into the gravel.

Hamilton managed to stay within DRS range of Leclerc and with a good exit out of Eau Rouge and Radillon, the Mercedes star had the pace to get the move done way before the end of the Kemmel Straight on Lap 3. Verstappen was P8 by the end of Lap 2 after getting past Albon, Alonso and Ocon. But his progress was halted as the Dutchman found Norris in his way once again.

‘Mercedes 1-2 in emphatic Belgian GP victory’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...des-Belgian-GP

[Fortitude]

George Russell disqualified after winning Belgian Grand Prix.
George Russell has been disqualified from Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix in a shock turn of events after his sensational victory - with Lewis Hamilton therefore claiming the win.
Sun, 28 July 2024
Kieran Jackson
Yahoo.com

n an initial post-race check, Russell’s Mercedes car was found to be 1.5 kg under the weight permitted in the regulations following the obligatory drainage of fuel. The matter was referred to the FIA stewards, who confirmed that Russell has been disqualified from the race classification.

Russell’s disqualification means team-mate Hamilton, who finished second, claims his 105th F1 win. Hamilton’s car was found to be over the permitted weight. Oscar Piastri therefore finishes second, with Charles Leclerc in third.

The FIA said in a statement: “During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.”

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/george-rus...162026751.html


UPDATED: Belgian GP Race Result
Updated race results for the Belgian Grand Prix following the exclusion of George Russell.
29 July 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Updated race results for the Belgian Grand Prix following the exclusion of George Russell.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff

1 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 44 laps

2 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 0.647

3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 8.023

4 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 8.700

5 4 Lando Norris McLaren 9.324

6 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 19.269

7 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 42.669

8 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 49.437

9 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine 52.026

10 3 Daniel Ricciardo RB 54.400

‘Belgian GP Race Result’;

https://speedcafe.com/updated-belgian-gp-race-result/


Mercedes release statement following Russell's Spa disqualification
The team has issued a statement following George Russell's disqualification from the Belgian Grand Prix.
28 July 2024
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Mercedes Wolff statement in full

"We have to take our disqualification on the chin. We have clearly made a mistake and need to ensure we learn from it. We will go away, evaluate what happened and understand what went wrong. To lose a 1-2 is frustrating and we can only apologise to George who drove such a strong race.”

"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. We had a car that was the benchmark in today's race across two different strategies. Only a few months ago, that would have been inconceivable.”

"We head into the summer break having won three of the past four races. We will look to come back after the shutdown rejuvenated and with the aim ofmaintaining our positive trajectory."

‘Statement following George Russell's disqualification’;

https://racingnews365.com/mercedes-r...squalification


Toto Wolff responds as George Russell disqualified from Belgian Grand Prix
28 Jul 2024
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

With no mitigating circumstances to present, Mercedes admitted an error had been made by the team, and Russell’s disqualification thus moves Lewis Hamilton up to first place for his second win in three race weekends. “Look, you know, we have to take it on the chin if the stewards decide against us,” he (Toto Wolff) said just before the disqualification news broke.

“It is what it is, a mistake has happened or could have happened and a 1-2 would have been a great result going into the summer break, it couldn’t go any better. The positives, the very positive, that we can take from this race is that we had two cars that were the benchmark in this race with two different strategies. Who would have said that a few months ago? And that is that is really good to see.”

“I think it’s the one-stop that you expect lots of rubber, maybe more, but there’s no excuse. If the stewards team deems it to be a breach of regulations, then it is what it is. We have to learn from that and, as a team, you know there are more positives to take. Obviously, for George, that’s a massive blow – a driver and all his childhood dreams to win these races and then it’s being probably taken away, but he’s gonna win many more.”

‘Toto Wolff responds’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-w...ian-grand-prix


George Russell breaks silence on Belgian GP disqualification handing win to Lewis Hamilton
George Russell's Belgian Grand Prix win was snatched away from him two hours after crossing the finish line.
Jul 28, 2024
Charlie Gordon


Breaking his silence on being disqualified, Russell wrote on X: "Heartbreaking.

"We came in 1.5kg underweight and have been disqualified from the race. We left it all on the track today and I take pride in crossing the line first. There will be more to come."

"Heartbreaking”;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...lewis-hamilton

[Fortitude]

How George Russell (Almost) Stole The Belgian Grand Prix.
Soon after the race ended, technical delegate Jo Bauer referred Russell's car to the stewards for being underweight by 1.5 kilograms—a violation of the technical rules which would be a slam-dunk disqualification. There was a wait as Mercedes plead their case, and the car was re-weighed, but in the end, there's only so much pleading can do.
20:30 Sun, 28 Jul 2024
Kathryn Xu
Defector

When Lewis Hamilton talked down the Mercedes car on Saturday, it wasn't sandbagging. "I think [the Red Bull] is the fastest here this weekend, or at least tied with McLaren," Hamilton said. Considering Mercedes's disaster of a Friday and the end qualifying result—a Red Bull, a Ferrari, another Red Bull, Hamilton's Mercedes, and then two McLarens—it was a simple statement of fact.

Hamilton didn't race like it. He started P3 on the grid after Max Verstappen took a 10-place grid penalty for his engine, and rocketed off the line. It took a couple of corners for the overtake on Sergio Pérez to stick; a couple of laps for Hamilton to catch up to Leclerc, pass, and pull out of DRS range. Despite running back a Sebastian Vettel radio classic about how "something is moving down around my legs," it became Hamilton's race to lose as soon as he was in the clear air. All of the allegedly faster cars were trapped in DRS trains a few places back. The championship leaders were squabbling down at seventh. Mercedes made the perfect reactive pit stop calls every single time to avoid losing track position, which as the DRS trains and general lack of overtaking proved, were critical. Hamilton pit to cover off Verstappen, and then pit to cover off Leclerc. After he came out in front in the second pit stop, it was sealed. All he had to do was make it to the end. And then he lost to ... who? George Russell? His teammate George Russell?

Russell was written off for virtually the entire race. He started P6 on the grid, behind Hamilton—who he had been regularly beating in single-lap qualifying pace—and the two McLarens, and gained a place after an unfortunately typical poor start from Lando Norris. But for most of the race, he was in no man's land, also known as the DRS train. He made his first pit stop on lap 10, along with Max Verstappen. As the other drivers pit ahead of him, he crawled up the places, from outside of the points up to P4. After Piastri made the final pit stop on lap 31, Russell found himself in P1, a little over seven seconds ahead of his teammate, Hamilton, with 13 long laps to go.

‘(Almost) Stole The Belgian Grand Prix’;

https://defector.com/how-george-russ...ian-grand-prix


How Mercedes' 'inexcusable' DQ cost Russell F1 win in Spa
28 Jul 2024
Laurence Edmondson
ESPN.com

In a sport where every last detail is accounted for, double checked and checked once more, it's rare for a car to be found underweight after the chequered flag. It's not unusual for teams to design a car to be as light as possible, but ballast is used to ensure it tips the scales at (or over) 798kg come what may after a race.

Mercedes will spend the coming days fully investigating the reason for the oversight, but initially it seemed linked to the remarkable one-stop strategy Russell used to take the victory. When Russell suggested the idea of a one-stop over the team radio, Mercedes' strategy modelling said both the planned two-stop strategy and the eventual one-stop would leave the car fifth at the finish.

By making a single set of hard compound tyres last 34 laps, Russell's Mercedes vaulted from fifth place to the lead as his rivals made a second pit stop. The strategy was a gamble, not least because most teams believed a two-stop would be the fastest way to the flag ahead of the race.

‘Inexcusable';

https://www.espn.com/racing/f1/story...ell-f1-win-spa


Mercedes to launch investigation into Russell disqualification
Trackside engineering chief Andrew Shovlin has committed to an investigation after the Spa shocker.
29 July 2024
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Mercedes has committed to launching an investigation into the root causes of George Russell's disqualification from the Belgian Grand Prix. Mercedes believe that the one-stop strategy, increase tyre wear, lack of a safety car to save fuel and the absence of a traditional in-lap to pick-up rubber combined to put Russell 1.5kg under the 798kg minimum weight limit, but trackside engineering chief Andrew Shovlin has promised an investigation.

"It's really tough for George to have been disqualified from the win after such an impressive drive," Shovlin explained. "He did a brilliant job to hang onto the tyres and defend to the finish. We don't yet understand why the car was underweight following the race but will investigate thoroughly to find the explanation.”

"We expect that the loss of rubber from the one-stop was a contributing factor, and we'll work to understand how it happened. We won't be making any excuses though. It is clearly not good enough and we need to make sure it doesn't happen again."

‘Investigation’;

https://racingnews365.com/mercedes-t...squalification


Mark Hughes: What made Russell a doomed outlier in Belgian GP
Jul 28, 2024
by Mark Hughes
The Race

F1's Belgian Grand Prix wasn’t ever going to be a one-stop race. But George Russell, who was probably set to finish around fifth in the normal two-stop running of his race had a feeling. It came to him after the second pitstops of Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri had left him in an out-of-sequence lead.

“It was weird,” he reported. “Suddenly the tyres and the car felt so good. I got into this groove. Once I was in the lead, no backmarkers or other cars in front, it kind of felt like you were driving in the simulator. I was watching the gap to Lewis and the rate he was catching me and I just thought there’s no reason why we can’t stay out and try to make it work.”

‘Had a feeling’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/g...p-mark-hughes/


Expert explains reason that 'could have contributed' to George Russell's Belgian Grand Prix disqualification
28 Jul 2024
Jack Kenmare
SPORTbible

Russell’s one-stop strategy could have led to his disqualification, according to Sky Sports’ Craig Slater, who engaged in conversation with Mercedes after the race. “The reasons? I’ve had some guidance from within the Mercedes team about why they were underweight. It was to do Russell’s single-stop strategy," Slater said.

“The teams know exactly how much weight they will shed when tyres wear down. Russell would have been expected to make two stops today. It was his own idea, in conjunction with his pit wall, that later switched it to a single stop.”

“It was the extra tyre wear that they’ve lost, perhaps several hundred grams per tyre, with the fact that they didn’t make a second stop and put on a fresh set, which has brought them in underweight. Combined with, the team think, changing the car set-up pretty radically between Friday (when they abandoned some of the upgraded parts and reverted to earlier parts for qualifying and the race).”

‘Expert explains reason’;

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/george...74242-20240728


Disqualified George Russell joins very exclusive club after deleted Belgian GP win
Only a handful of Formula 1 drivers have ever been disqualified from a race after winning it. And the lucky omen is every single one of those drivers had either already won a World Championship or would go on to do so in a later year.
28 Jul 2024
Elizabeth Blackstock
PlanetF1.com

The story of the 1976 British Grand Prix is a wild one. A massive first-corner crash involving James Hunt brought out the red flag. Hunt took a shortcut back to the pits and, in effect, failed to complete a full lap. Because he hadn’t been on the track at the time the race was red flagged, officials initially determined that he wouldn’t be allowed to take the restart — but an incensed British crowd effectively forced the stewards into letting him start again. After two months of deliberations, Hunt was disqualified, and his win was handed to title rival Niki Lauda.

While Piquet’s Brabham teammate Riccardo Patrese had to retire from the race due to heat exhaustion, Piquet managed to muscle his car across the line in first position. He passed out on the podium celebrating his win — and then he was disqualified. See, both Piquet and Keke Rosberg were found to be underweight due to a “ballast water tank.” That tank’s alleged purpose was to cool the brakes, but teams often refilled the empty tank after the race to meet minimum weight and therefore pass post-race scrutineering.

Alain Prost: 1985 San Marino Grand Prix: Reason for DSQ: Car under minimum weight limit
Ayrton Senna: 1989 Japanese Grand Prix: Reason for DSQ: Rejoining the track illegally via push start from marshals
Michael Schumacher: 1994 Belgian Grand Prix: Reason for DSQ: Illegal skid block wear

‘Very exclusive club’;

https://www.planetf1.com/features/f1...after-race-win

[Fortitude]

‘Really am gutted’: Lewis Hamilton sends message to George Russell after being disqualified from the Belgian GP.
Upon discovering that he had won the race, Hamilton sent Russell a message and said: “Great drive today @georgerussell63, really am gutted for you and the team losing the win and also our 1-2 which the team deserved. Let’s keep pushing, work towards another 1-2 in the second half.”
29 July 2024
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

Elation turned to frustration very quickly in the Mercedes garage after the final Formula 1 race before the summer break. George Russell nailed a one-stop strategy that nobody thought was possible at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Team principal Toto Wolff will be frustrated that the team have thrown away 18 points at Spa, but encouraged with the direction Mercedes have gone in since the Canadian Grand Prix.

“Work towards another 1-2 in the second half”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/lew...he-belgian-gp/


Hamilton left with 'mixed feelings' over Belgian GP win as Russell reacts to ‘heartbreaking’ disqualification
29 July 2024
Formula One - Official Site

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have both reacted after Mercedes' jubilant 1-2 in Belgium soon turned to despair, when initial winner George Russell was disqualified from the race for a technical breach. Toto Wolff had initially said he wished there could be two winners after the race, such was Hamilton’s pace throughout a gripping Grand Prix, but it was only a highly unexpected strategy call from Russell to try and make a one-stop work that initially denied Hamilton – and while he was pleased to add another win to his tally, the circumstances preceding it rather took the gloss off.

As for Russell, most in the paddock agreed this had been his best F1 victory to date, earned completely on merit after being the only front runner brave enough to try and make the one-stop strategy work. But it wasn’t to be, with his car coming in underweight when the post-race checks were carried out.

“It is heartbreaking to be disqualified from today’s race,” Russell said. “It had been an unbelievable Grand Prix for us to make the one-stop strategy work. In what turned out to be my final stint, the tyres just kept getting better and better. I was nursing them in the early stages and, as we went further, I became more and more convinced we could get to the end on them. It was a risk worth taking and it looked like it had paid off.”

'Mixed feelings';

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...q3I75xxBx0ZKN0


Hamilton left with ‘mixed feelings’ after inheriting Spa win
29/07/2024
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Champagne was sprayed effusively on the podium by Russell and Hamilton, who flanked Mercedes’ lead strategist Joey McMillan as the group rejoiced in the team’s resounding 1-2 finish, unsuspecting of what would follow.

The mood soured a while later when Russell’s disqualification was confirmed after his Mercedes car was found to be 1.5kg under Formula 1’s 798kg minimum weight, a technical breach that handed the win to Hamilton.

In the post-race press conference, before Russell’s disqualification was announced, Hamilton said that he was surprised to find himself racing at the front. “On Friday it was pretty disastrous for both of us and we were really struggling with balance,” he said.

‘Mixed feelings’;

https://f1i.com/news/515551-hamilton...g-spa-win.html


"I don't want to win a race through a disqualification", says Hamilton
29 Jul 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Although Mercedes started off the season as the fourth quickest team behind Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, it has slowly crawled its way back to the sharp end of the field, having won three of the last four races. Hamilton labelled his car as "incredibly competitive" after his string of impressive race performances.

"I feel for George, and you don’t want to win a race through a disqualification, but we have been back in the fight for victories in the past few races.”

"It is incredibly competitive now, so we will need to work hard to battle for wins more consistently. Nevertheless, we can go into the summer break with momentum and positivity," commented the seven-time world champion.

‘Feel for George’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/25151


Lewis Hamilton's Post-Race Interview After Belgian GP
29 Jul 2024
Thomas Henigan
Give Me Sport

Lewis Hamilton did not seem too pleased with his team’s strategy right after the Belgian Grand Prix on the 28th of July. The Brit initially finished second in the race, but has since been awarded first place after his teammate George Russell was disqualified when his car was found to be underweight. The seven-time champion now being awarded victory in Belgium won’t take away from the fact that right after the race he was unhappy with Mercedes’ strategy for him.

In an interview after the race where the seven-time world champion had, at the time, finished in second place, the British driver appeared to be quite critical of those advising him during the contest. “You have to put faith in the people you work with. I put my faith in my strategists, I should be able to lean on them fully.” He also said that he felt that his tyres were fine, but Mercedes still pulled him in for a second tyre change.

Russell, on the other hand, was only pulled in once throughout the race for a tyre change. To that, Hamilton added: “Did I know that I was at risk of getting one-stopped by my teammate? They didn’t tell me that.” These strong words from Hamilton perhaps imply that he feels the different strategies used on him and his teammate Russell favoured the latter of the two drivers, with Russell being the one who came out victorious initially.

‘Post-Race Interview’;

https://www.givemesport.com/lewis-ha...er-belgian-gp/


Mercedes engineer accused of sending 'unnecessary' message to Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton was noticeably frustrated by Mercedes' strategy during the Belgian Grand Prix that saw him clinch P2 before George Russell's disqualification.
Jul 29, 2024
Fasika Zelealem
Daily and Sunday Express

Lewis Hamilton being told to give enough space when racing George Russell in the Belgian Grand Prix was an "unnecessary" message to give the seven-time champion, according to ex-F1 chief Peter Windsor. The Brit initially finished second in Sunday's race with his Mercedes team-mate claiming his second win of the season.

"I thought it was quite interesting [with] two or three laps to go, and they [Mercedes] said 'just give each other a lot of space' to Lewis, I think they should have been giving that message to George actually," Windsor said on his YouTube channel.

"They gave it to Lewis and I wonder if that changed things a little bit, that's unnecessary to say that to Lewis Hamilton I think because he's not the sort of driver that ever really does anything incredibly stupid, particularly with a team-mate. At that stage of the race, I don't think Lewis had to be told that and maybe that affected his aggression a little".

'Unnecessary’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...Lewis-Hamilton


‘Take it on the chin’: Mercedes have no excuses for George Russell heartbreak
Sun, 28 Jul 2024
giles richards
Yahoo! Sport

The Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, admitted his team had no excuse for the error that cost George Russell the win at the Belgian Grand Prix, which the Austrian described as a “massive blow” for his driver.

“There is no excuse,” said Wolff. “We have to take it on the chin. We have clearly made a mistake and need to ensure we learn from it. For George that is a massive blow as a driver, all those childhood dreams of winning these races and then it’s been taken away.”

‘No excuses’;

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/chi...190306712.html


Pirelli expert shares three ‘factors’ that contributed to George Russell’s disqualification at Spa
29 July 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Pirelli director of motorsport, Mario Isola, has offered three potential factors that might have led to Russell’s car being under the limit in a press release. Looking at the factors after the race, Isola has offered a theory as to why Russell might have been under the weight limit.

“For a preliminary explanation, at least in terms of tyre behaviour, there are some factors that stand out. First of all, the track temperature was around 10 degrees higher than during FP2 and that probably contributed to very limited graining on the hard, which on the other hand was very significant on the mediums on a long stint,” said Isola.

“Furthermore, we can assume that the teams worked hard on defining car set-up to find the best compromise between a wet qualifying and a dry race and to try and protect the front axle, which was most prone to graining. A third element to consider is that many drivers made a point of looking after their tyres very carefully, especially in the quickest corners.”

‘Three factors’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/pir...cation-at-spa/

[Fortitude]

Piastri smiling after ‘exciting race’ that ‘went down to the wire’.
Oscar Piastri finished third at Spa but was then promoted to P2 after winner George Russell was disqualified when his Mercedes was found to be underweight.
28 July 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Piastri smiling’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/pi...43201661069483


Piastri backs up win with second place at Spa
Australia’s Oscar Piastri has come second at the 2024 Belgian Formula One Grand Prix after his maiden win last weekend in Hungary to rise to fourth in the world championship points.
29 July 2024
Damion Smy
Drive

The Melburnian McLaren driver actually crossed the finish line in third place, having been catching the two Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton with only 1.173 seconds between all three cars – the closest finish without a Safety Car intervention since 2016. Piastri was promoted to second in the results, however, when Russell was disqualified for having an underweight car in post-race inspections, a decision the Mercedes team may appeal.

Having outpaced his team-mate Lando Norris in two of the three practice sessions at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Piastri qualified a disappointing sixth behind Norris, but started fifth as Max Verstappen – who’d qualified fastest – was demoted ten positions for taking a new engine, relegating the Dutch world champion to 11th.

The Melburnian jumped Norris off the start and challenged Hamilton and Sergio Perez, passing Perez before settling into third behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who was passed for the lead by Hamilton. Piastri showed race-winning pace, but an error in his final pit-stop – where he locked up his front brakes to overshoot his pit bay – cost him around 2.0 seconds of track time.

‘Piastri backs up win’;

https://www.drive.com.au/news/piastr...-place-at-spa/


Second in Belgium, Piastri confident as F1 takes break
29 July 2024
Staff WritersAAP
The West Australian

Oscar Piastri is heading into Formula One's summer break confident his McLaren team are making inroads after another podium finish. The 23-year-old Australian was promoted to second after finishing third behind Mercedes pair George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Russell was disqualified hours after the race for having an underweight car, with Hamilton handed the win - a record-extending 105th of his career. Piastri gave his reaction to his post-race promotion on social media: "Well that was unexpected but we'll take it," he posted on X. Piastri said he felt hopeful of catching Russell and Hamilton as he progressed after starting from fifth on the grid in Sunday's race before finishing 1.173s behind.

"Honestly yes, I thought I could (get them)," said Piastri. "Clean air was such a big difference today - once I got a little bit of clean air in the middle stint I picked up a lot of pace." Asked what he was lacking to prevent a win, Piastri said: "I think just not quite enough speed, it took me a couple of laps to get past Charles and I really overheated the tyres doing that."

‘Piastri confident’;

https://thewest.com.au/sport/motorsp...eak-c-15513566


Piastri rues starting position costing him Belgium F1 win shot
29 Jul 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Oscar Piastri is convinced that starting further down the order relative to McLaren’s true pace denied him a better chance at winning the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix.

“I’ve been pretty happy on the whole,” Piastri expressed. “I think it was a really well-executed race. I think the one-stop was a possibility and I think probably there’s a lot of people out there kicking themselves, they didn’t consider it more.”

“But no, I think we executed a great race. Had a quick car and ultimately just didn’t put it in the right position in qualifying yesterday. So I think given where we started, very happy. But yeah, ultimately I think there was a bit more potential this weekend.”

‘Piastri rues starting position’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...m-f1-win-shot/


Stella: Piastri pitstop mishap cost chance of Spa victory
29 Jul 2024
Phillip van Osten
Motorsport.com

Piastri crossed the checkered flag just 0.647s behind Russell, a gap that puts into context his pitstop error according to Stella. "Like Oscar said immediately in the in-lap on the radio, 'apologies for the pitstop', because I think he realises that that could have been a bit costly," said Stella.

"Potentially, he would have just queued behind Hamilton, but he could have also been in condition to attack. So I think this 1.5-2s loss at the pitstop ultimately proved to be relatively costly. Even because then you would have been behind Leclerc earlier with fresher tyres, which means you could have finalised the overtaking more easily. So a bit of a cascade.”

"We do have to work with drivers in terms of like...even in the hot moments, just don't overcook it at the pitstop position because it can be very costly. I think he had something similar in Silverstone as well."

'Apologies for the pitstop';

https://f1i.com/news/515613-stella-p...a-victory.html


Stella: Piastri Belgian GP pitstop error "costly" in F1 victory charge
29 Jul 2024
Ewan Gale Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com
A mistake at the last pitstop cost Piastri time which could have seen him mount a challenge for another Formula 1 victory

Having finished on the tail of the seven-time champion, who was runner-up on the road to team-mate George Russell before the latter was disqualified for an underweight Mercedes, Stella believes the pitstop error proved pivotal.

When put to him that this was one of his best races since joining the grid, Piastri alluded to his overshoot, by joking: "I'm not sure my front jack man agrees, but no, I think it was a really strong race. To try and get past Charles was not easy and I think if I didn't manage to do it on that lap, I probably would have been stuck there for a long time.”

"So that was a pretty pivotal moment of the race. I think just the pace was very strong. I felt very, very good this weekend. Even on Friday, the pace looked really strong. Just kicking myself a little bit that I didn't get qualifying right. But it was a very strong weekend and probably one of my better races."

‘Pitstop error’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/s...arge/10640207/


Spa podium further proof of Piastri progress
Second place in the Belgian Grand Prix demonstrates the progress Oscar Piastri has made in F1.
30 July 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

The 23-year-old won his first grand prix in Hungary after commanding the race, and proved the lead McLaren driver in Belgium too. Prior to that, he was on par with team-mate Lando Norris at the British Grand Prix before a poor strategy call from the team cost him dearly, but even then he was rapid in the final laps.

“The last few weeks have been very strong from my side,” Piastri observed. “Honestly, the whole season's been pretty good. A couple of weekends in the middle of the year were a bit tricky; Japan and China mainly were pretty tough and obviously Barcelona.”

“I feel like all the other races have been quite strong, just we've had a lot of things that haven't been going our way in some ways, whether it's interesting track limit penalties or crashes or mistakes, there's always kind of been just things.”

‘Further proof’;

https://speedcafe.com/spa-podium-fur...stri-progress/

[Fortitude]

Leclerc reckons Ferrari finish the first half of the season with the ‘fourth fastest car’.
Charles Leclerc started the Belgian Grand Prix on pole, but ended up P4 at the flag, in the last race before the F1 summer break.
28 July 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

‘Fourth fastest car’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/le...37278915717531


‘Wishing you the best’: Ferrari star Charles Leclerc sends message to Carlos Sainz after confirming Williams move
Tue 30 July 2024 08:00
Updated Tue 30 July 2024 08:43
Ben Evans
F1 Oversteer

After months of waiting, Carlos Sainz finally decided his next destination on the Formula 1 grid for 2025. Carlos Sainz knew before this season even started that he would be leaving Ferrari after four years with the Italian giants. Sainz eventually chose Williams and will be joining Alex Albon at the beginning of next year as Logan Sargeant’s replacement.

Charles Leclerc sends message to Carlos Sainz after he confirms he’s joining Williams. Posting on social media when the news broke, Leclerc said: “Wishing you the best for your new adventure next year Chili. Still got half a season together to have some more special moments as teammates.”

Sainz replied to his teammate and said: “10 more races together, let’s make the most of them!” New teammate Albon also sent Sainz a message on Instagram and said: “Welcome to the team,”, while Sainz also joked about the fact that both drivers have missed races due to surgery, calling them the “Appendix-less team.”

‘Wishing you the best’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/fer...williams-move/


Leclerc delivers blunt Ferrari assessment despite Spa podium
Charles Leclerc stepped up to third place following George Russell's disqualification from the Belgian Grand Prix.
29 July 2024
Jake Nichol & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

The Monegasque is 100 points behind championship-leader Max Verstappen heading into the summer break as Leclerc delivered a blunt assessment of Ferrari's race. "It is very simple, what happened is that we're just not fast enough," Leclerc told media including RacingNews365 before the news of Russell's disqualification came through.

"I felt like we were the fourth-fastest car behind McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes, and on a normal race track, it is very difficult to keep them behind. We did a good job to keep Max and Lando behind, but fourth was the best we could hope for.”

"If it was Red Bull in front, then I think it would have been a positive weekend, but it was a Mercedes who we thought we were on a par with - and they had an edge on us. So I don't consider this result very positive. I thought fourth was the best possible result today, but what makes me not so happy is that we have two Mercedes and one McLaren in front, so it is worse than expected."

‘Blunt Ferrari assessment despite Spa podium’;

https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-of...ing-spa-podium


‘Question marks’: Bernie Collins left questioning ‘two things’ Ferrari did to Carlos Sainz during Belgian GP
29 July 2024
Rory Mitchell
F1 Oversteer

Ferrari was left disappointed after Charles Leclerc failed to convert his pole position for the Belgian Grand Prix into a race win. Leclerc was passed by Lewis Hamilton in the opening stages of the race, then later on George Russell ran a one-stop strategy and leapfrogged him in the pits, before a fast Oscar Piastri overtook him for the final podium spot in the closing stages of the race.

Bernie Collins thinks Ferrari will ‘question’ two things after Belgian GP. “What Ferrari is going to question going forward is, Carlos Sainz was our race leader at one point because he hadn’t stopped near the end. He started on the hard tyre, he extended that stint and that was good information for Charles Leclerc to say the hard tyre is good. But at that point, Sainz was calling on the radio to say ‘Are you sure we are not on a one-stop?’ He could have extended that hard tyre even further,” said Collins.

“There would have been two things come out of that: Could he have made the one-stop work and where would he have finished? Probably just behind Russell but a lot closer in the fight. They pitted Sainz just before Hamilton and Leclerc got to the back of them. Then if they extended, they could have closed the gap to Hamilton and Leclerc slightly and the slow pit stop might not have made a big difference. So a few question marks for them in terms of how it panned out.”

‘Question marks’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ber...ng-belgian-gp/


Leclerc frustrated by surprise Mercedes speed as Ferrari lacks “raw pace”
JULY 29, 2024
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog

He acknowledged that he expected that McLaren and Red Bull would be more competitive than Ferrari, but not Mercedes. “If it was a Red Bull in front then I think it would have been a positive weekend,” he said. “But now it was a Mercedes, which we thought we were on a par with, and they had the edge on us. I don’t consider this result a very positive one.”

He added: “I think fourth was what I thought would be the best result possible today, with two McLarens in front, and one Red Bull. But again, that’s what makes me not so happy about today, is that we have two Mercedes and one McLaren in front, and the Mercedes, we thought that we were on a par with them. So yeah, worse than expected.” Like others Leclerc expected McLaren to be the team to beat in Sunday’s race.

“I personally thought that McLaren had huge advantage of pace for this weekend, which I saw a little bit less today,” he said. “They were still the fastest, probably with Red Bull and Mercedes today, but I thought McLaren had the edge. It’s good to see that everybody’s so close, but unfortunately, we are still the fourth fastest team, and the top three keeps changing, but we are consistently behind them, on a par with Mercedes. We just need more pace.”

‘Ferrari lacks “Raw pace” ’;

https://adamcooperf1.com/2024/07/29/...acks-raw-pace/


Leclerc explains Ferrari’s choice to avoid F1 Belgian GP one-stop
JULY 29, 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Charles Leclerc has explained how track position and no Hard tyre practice data led to Ferrari’s choice to not gamble on a one-stop in Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix. Leclerc believes that it would have represented too much risk in his position at the time to abandon the conventional strategic choice to pursue an even greater result.

“It’s very difficult to know at that point, because when you have so many cars, we were in a position where we were second on track,” Leclerc, who inherited third, said. “Which when you are getting undercut by one car, two cars, three cars, four cars, it starts to be quite tricky and you take a lot of risks.”

“So it was just better to align ourselves to the other strategy. We didn’t know even what was the Hard like, because we hadn’t run it before the race. So all of this, I don’t think it’s fair to say that we did a mistake at that point, and I understood the point of view of the team.”

‘Ferrari’s choice to not gamble’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...n-gp-one-stop/


Ferrari ‘pushing like hell’ to solve season-threatening issue after summer break
The Scuderia have fallen away from the top-three teams in performance after its new floor update was applied in Barcelona
July 30, 2024
Nathan Hartley
FormulaNerds

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur emphasises his team is “pushing like hell” to find a permanent solution to its high-speed bouncing issue. The Maranello team was on an upwards trajectory, leading to Charles Leclerc winning his home race in Monaco. However, since the Monegasque’s maiden home victory, the team’s form has gone downhill ever since.

The issue started at the Spanish Grand Prix. The Scuderia brought a new floor to Barcelona. The new floor led to bouncing problems at high-speed corners. The issue was that much of a concern, the team opted to revert back to its old-spec at the British Grand Prix. However, the team opted to try and modify the new floor after the race in Silverstone.

Ferrari were hoping to ‘save their season’ with the modifications made to the new floor at the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, the Hungaroring wasn’t a great test as there isn’t many high-speed corners. Vasseur says the team is “pushing like hell” to find a solution after Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix – where the issue came back on lighter fuel loads.

‘To find a permanent solution to its high-speed bouncing issue’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/fe.../?nowprocket=1