Update: Lewis Hamilton secures the win at the Belgian GP following George Russell’s disqualification for an underweight car. Oscar Piastri moves up to second, with Charles Leclerc completing the podium in third.
The 2024 Formula 1 Belgian GP at Spa-Francorchamps kicked off with Charles Leclerc making a stellar start, maintaining his pole position through the first corner and keeping Lewis Hamilton at bay.
Hamilton quickly made his move, overtaking Sergio Perez to take second place. Lando Norris, however, had a disastrous start, slipping into the gravel and dropping to seventh position behind Carlos Sainz.
Despite a valiant effort to regain his position, Norris went wide and had to settle behind Sainz.
Early Overtakes and Strategy Plays
By the third lap, Hamilton’s relentless pace paid off as he overtook Leclerc to seize the lead. Meanwhile, Zhou Guanyu faced an early exit from the race due to hydraulic issues, marking a disappointing end to his run.
Strategic plays began to unfold by lap 11, with Max Verstappen pitting early for hard tires, aiming for the undercut. George Russell also pitted, rejoining the track just behind Yuki Tsunoda. Russell quickly cleared Tsunoda, and Verstappen followed suit.
Mid-Race Pits and Position Changes
Lap 12 saw key pit stops as Hamilton, Perez, and Oscar Piastri headed to the pits. Leclerc briefly retook the lead as Hamilton’s pit stop took 2.6 seconds, compared to Perez’s 2.2 seconds and Piastri’s 2.0 seconds.
Hamilton and Piastri opted for hard tires, while Perez went for mediums, indicating split strategies for Red Bull. Hamilton rejoined ahead of Perez, with Piastri just behind.
Lap 13 was pivotal for Piastri, who swiftly overtook Russell, a crucial move for his race strategy. Leclerc then pitted, allowing Sainz, who had started on hard tires, to take the lead.
Norris moved up to second place, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Hamilton. Leclerc rejoined in fifth, behind Hamilton but ahead of Perez. Piastri continued his aggressive drive, overtaking Perez soon after.
Tire Strategies in Play at Belgian GP
By lap 15, McLaren instructed Norris to push with “maximum pace,” as his hard tire strategy seemed advantageous. Despite this, Norris opted not to pit and continued to push on. McLaren’s strategy of having two sets of hard tires, compared to Red Bull’s one, appeared to give Norris an edge in tire management as the race progressed.
Sainz Pits from the Lead
On lap 21, Sainz pitted from the lead for a set of medium tires. His stop, slightly slower at 2.6 seconds, saw him rejoin behind Norris. Russell overtook Perez, with Verstappen ready to follow. Hamilton was now back in the lead.
On lap 24, Norris, with his eight-lap-old hard tires, was all over the back of Verstappen, whose tires were 13 laps old. However, Norris made a mistake by under-braking at the bus stop chicane, losing momentum and dropping out of DRS range, which halted his attempt to overtake Verstappen.
By lap 26, Leclerc pitted from second, attempting an undercut. However, a slow 3.4-second stop for the Ferrari man put him on fresh hard tires, rejoining behind his teammate in clean air.
Hamilton made his second pit stop on lap 30, a quick 2.4-second stop, a whole second faster than Leclerc’s. He rejoined the race on hard tires, comfortably ahead.
Oscar Piastri took the race lead, with Russell and Verstappen behind him. Russell radioed in, expressing his desire to attempt a one-stop strategy.
On lap 31, Piastri came into the pits from the lead, but overshot his pit stop, resulting in a costly 4.4-second stop. This error allowed Russell to take the lead, followed by Hamilton and Leclerc. Piastri rejoined just ahead of Verstappen, while Norris overtook Perez.
Late-Race Drama
Russell, now leading from Hamilton, had tires that were 23 laps old compared to Hamilton’s significantly newer set. The tire difference was evident, with Hamilton closing the gap at a rate of approximately 0.75 seconds per lap.
On lap 33, Piastri made a bold move around the outside of Les Combes to overtake Leclerc, showcasing impressive racing skills. The gap to Hamilton ahead was 5.4 seconds, with Piastri now focusing on closing that gap.
With Piastri’s tires four laps old compared to Hamilton’s eight, and Russell’s tires ancient, Piastri began lapping a few tenths quicker. The gap between Piastri and Hamilton was 5.2 seconds, and Leclerc’s defense was crucial in helping Piastri gain ground.
Piastri, the latest F1 race winner, took the slipstream along the straight and went side by side with Leclerc into the chicane. Leclerc didn’t resist too aggressively, allowing Piastri to take third place and get a clear run at Hamilton.
Final Lap and Podium Finish
In a surprising turn of events on the last lap, Russell maintained his first position, securing his second victory of the season starting from sixth position with one pit stop less, thanks to his strategic call. His teammate, Hamilton, had to settle for second place. Piastri completed the podium, finishing just 0.5 seconds behind Hamilton.