F1 pundit affirms Belgian GP was Lewis Hamilton’s race ‘through and through’ with George Russell’s ‘curveball’
James Hinchcliffe believed that Lewis Hamilton was the rightful Belgian GP victor after a great drive against George Russell.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton (images via IMAGO)
The Mercedes crew sustained a rollercoaster of a race at the Belgian GP. George Russell drove stupendously well and won the race with Lewis Hamilton closely following in second. However, Russell was disqualified and inadvertently promoted Hamilton to the race winner. As a result, multiple people questioned the 39-year-old’s chances of winning the race if the 26-year-old weren’t disqualified.
F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe believed that the Belgian GP was all for Lewis Hamilton to win. If Mercedes hadn’t thrown the ‘curveball’ strategy from George Russell the former could’ve won easily. Hinchcliffe further recalled the start of the race and the way Hamilton managed to overtake Sergio Perez off the start.
Without the curveball thrown by the in-race strategy pivot from Russell, this was Hamtilon’s race, through and through. He did well to get Sergio Perez into T1.James Hinchcliffe said, as reported by formula1
Additionally, Lewis Hamilton proved his racing mettle by driving well and patiently in second. The W15 challenger had great pace as the Briton was finally provided with a great chance. Hence, James Hinchcliffe noted that it was nice to witness the 39-year-old win the race ‘on merit’.
Hamilton has won so many Grands Prix from this position and it was nice to see him and Mercedes both able to fight up front on merit.James Hinchcliffe added
Lewis Hamilton ‘carefully balanced aggression’ to not risk a Mercedes one-two
Lewis Hamilton’s drive behind George Russell allowed the team to score a one-two in the beginning. Hence, this was possible only because of Hamilton’s balance in aggression between overtaking and defending. Additionally, despite the win being handed to the Briton, Hinchcliffe believed that the Belgian GP showcased a beautiful drive from the 39-year-old.
We got a thrilling battle to the flag in what was a great drive from Hamilton who carefully balanced aggression with not risking a team one-two and keeping a rapid Oscar Piastri behind. He was eventually credited with the win, but regardless of the classification it was a beautiful Hamilton drive.James Hinchcliffe noted
Mercedes’s great comeback mid-way through the 2024 season has given rise to highly exciting contingencies. The German manufacturer will soon join the battle for championship contention amidst such performances. Hence, time will tell about how the remainder of the season fares for Brackley in the pinnacle of motorsport.
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Aditya Pandya
(1440 Articles Published)