Has Lewis Hamilton made a massive mistake? - GPFans Belgian GP Hot Takes

The final round before the 2024 Formula 1 season summer break provided a shock winner after a race which demonstrated why this season could be shaping up to deliver the most exciting championship battle in recent years.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton cemented a surprise 1-2 for Mercedes, proving the Silver Arrows are very much still in the running to assist with the termination of Red Bull domination.

Editor's note: Many of these takes were written before George Russell's disqualification, but the vast majority of them still apply

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Russell's third career victory displayed a masterclass of a one-stop strategy, whilst team-mate Hamilton appeared underwhelmed to say the least at a missed opportunity in Spa.

Oscar Piastri proved his critics wrong by securing P3, way ahead of his dejected team-mate Lando Norris who suffered a slow start to the race- even team orders wouldn't have helped him this weekend.

Here's what the GPFans' team thought of all the action at Spa.

GPFans Journalists on the Belgian GP

Chris Deeley - US Editor

What a contrast from last weekend in Hungary. Two team-mates going head to head with absolutely no interference apart from a plea not to crash into each other, and on vastly different strategies at that.

Mercedes got everything spot on from start to finish on Sunday, whether that was listening to Russell on the one-stop call or judging perfectly the cushion their drivers would have to the surging Oscar Piastri.

It goes without saying if you’ve been paying attention, but…there have been six races since Ferrari won a race now. Mercedes have taken three, Red Bull two and McLaren one. Mercedes have had two poles and two fastest laps in that time, Ferrari have one of each.

We asked the question rhetorically after Silverstone, but we might have to start asking it in earnest now. Has Lewis Hamilton made a massive mistake?

Dan Ripley - Deputy Chief Editor

Sergio Perez was described as a 'weeble' by team boss Christian Horner during the Spa weekend - referencing a retro toy that wobbles but never falls.

After starting from the front row, Red Bull would have been banking on him to take the lead of the race and control the pack, making it easier for Max Verstappen to carve his way through the grid and perhaps take a win.

Instead, Perez dropped behind Lewis Hamilton almost immediately, and very soon he dropped out of the top three altogether as the Mercedes, McLarens and Ferraris all outpaced him.

By lap 21 Perez was fifth and any hopes of controlling the race had long since evaporated before he pitted to release Verstappen, who started 11th, to skate past him.

If this was Perez's chance to prove why the under pressure Red Bull driver should be kept over the summer break he did himself few favours. There can be no doubt Perez is wobbling at Red Bull, but August will perhaps tell us a lot more if he is indeed a weeble or if this will in fact be the time he falls.

Stuart Hodge - Chief Editor

Sergio Perez is finished at Red Bull.

GPFans understands that they are going to allow Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson to potentially test for the seat beside Max and the Mexican has been dragging the team down for way too long.

Their chances of winning the constructors championship depend on dropping Checo, he's underperforming and to qualify in the top three and then finish behind your team-mate when he's had a 10-place grid penalty is beyond a joke.

Well done to Mercedes for letting the drivers race for top spot at the end of the race at arguably the best circuit of them all, in my humble opinion.

The Silver Arrows managed their first one-two finish since the 2022 season, in the same order as they managed back then at Interlagos - but the headline news for me is that Red Bull must bin Checo. He finished 24 seconds behind Sainz as well, who was seventh.

Time to put him out of his misery (fastest lap or not).

Matt Hobkinson - Lead Editor

Three wins in four races for Mercedes and who on earth saw that coming a month ago?

Russell showed his true calling as a tyre-whisperer to hold off Hamilton in what proved to be a thrilling edge-of-your-seat finish to the Belgian Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri did warn everyone that clear air was key, and boy was he proved right as Hamilton caught up to Russell, with the Australian in tow, yet neither could get past.

Max could only manage fifth, but Red Bull’s attention will firmly be on Checo, as usual, as they work out how the Mexican went from second to eighth, while his team-mate improved from 11th.

Going back to the start of the season, every F1 fan would have bitten your hand off for Red Bull’s dominance to be tested.

Not only is the pack closing in, but the unmistakable smell of blood is thick in the air.

Ronan Murphy - Social Media Editor

Mercedes 1-2, Red Bull faltering, Perez’s future. All great talking points from the Belgian Grand Prix. All letting another podium finish for Oscar Piastri go under the radar.

After his first-ever F1 win last weekend, Piastri had another fantastic showing in Belgium, further cementing his status as the best young driver on the grid.

The Australian is the future of Formula 1, outperforming experienced team-mate Lando Norris once more, and putting McLaren into a stronger position heading into the second half of the season.

Perez’s struggles leave the World Constructors’ Championship wide open, and with both Piastri and Norris, McLaren have the chance to knock Red Bull off their perch.

The rest of the season is gonna be great. Is it August 25th yet?

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

We were warned to be wary of the quiet ones this weekend as Oscar Piastri perfectly followed up his controversial win last weekend in Hungary with a determined drive earning him a podium.

The young Aussie had big shoes to fill by replacing his fellow countryman and ever enigmatic Daniel Ricciardo when debuting with McLaren, but it is now clear he’d prefer to let his driving do the talking. The same cannot be said for Sergio Perez who is undoubtedly the less marketable of the Red Bull duo and with Danny Ric finishing just three places behind him with VCARB, it begs the question; would Red Bull be better returning to the fan favourite pairing of Verstappen and Ricciardo?

Meme King Russell came out on top once more, making a strong argument that he has got the strongest strategy, not just in this race but with his F1 career, as he will soon inherit the lead driver role for Mercedes whilst balancing his duty of single-handedly keeping the Silver Arrows fans fed with social media content.

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Oscar Piastri is often overshadowed by his louder more social media friendly team-mate, with even his first race win tainted by Lando Norris’ attitude.

However, the Aussie has proved himself the better driver under pressure at Spa, besting Norris on the opening lap.

The Belgian Grand Prix was another missed opportunity for Norris and his poor race starts are starting to become a frequent problem that he needs to work on in order to compete at the sharp end.

On the other hand, Piastri demonstrated why he will be a threat in the future, not just to his team-mate, but for a world title.

His chase of the two Mercedes’ during the closing stages of the Belgian Grand Prix was thrilling, and with an extra lap he could have made it his second consecutive race win.

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