George Russell Claims Thrilling Victory at the Belgian Grand Prix

George Russell shocked everyone by securing a phenomenal win at the Belgian Grand Prix, thanks to an audacious strategy and a nail-biting finish against his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton.

Starting from pole position, Charles Leclerc had a solid beginning but quickly lost the lead to Hamilton within just two laps. The seasoned champ, Hamilton, looked powerful at a track where he had previously triumphed four times.

While most drivers went for the typical two-stop plan, Russell took a risk by making only one pit stop on Lap 10 out of 44. This meant he had to carefully manage his older hard tires as the race drew to a close.

In the final laps, Hamilton had closed right in on Russell, being just half a second behind as they crossed the finish line. Russell clinched his third career victory, much to the delight of the Mercedes team.

Behind the Mercedes duo, Oscar Piastri put on an impressive performance for McLaren, finishing third. Leclerc managed to fend off pressure to take fourth for Ferrari, while Max Verstappen had a strong comeback from his P11 start to grab fifth place in his Red Bull.

Lando Norris, despite great efforts, settled for sixth, just ahead of Carlos Sainz who took home seventh place for Ferrari. Sergio Perez from Red Bull had to deal with a disappointing eighth position after starting on the front row.

Fernando Alonso earned some points for Aston Martin by finishing ninth, with Esteban Ocon from Alpine rounding off the top ten. Closer to the back, Daniel Ricciardo missed out on scoring points, finishing eleventh, while a few names like Lance Stroll and Alex Albon followed behind.

At the back of the pack, Kick Sauber had yet another disappointing day, with Valtteri Bottas finishing sixteenth, and Zhou Guanyu retiring due to a hydraulic issue, leaving the race early.

The race weekend started off with a twist as Verstappen, who had laid down a fast marker in qualifying, faced a grid penalty dropping him to P11. This allowed Leclerc to take the pole position instead.

On race day, as the teams geared up, it became apparent that most opted for medium tires except a few, including Sainz and Zhou who went for hard tires. Leclerc had a great start, but Hamilton quickly overtook him—a hallmark of his skill on the track.

Despite some early drama with Zhou and his car, it was Piastri who began to challenge Perez for a top-three spot as he continued to put pressure on the field.

Russell’s gamble on tire strategy played a crucial role, allowing him to take the lead as others pitted. Hamilton and Leclerc followed in, but Russell held his ground well into the final laps.

In the closing moments, as Hamilton tried his best to overtake his teammate Russell, the tension was palpable. However, Russell defended brilliantly and took the checkered flag for a stunning victory.

This win marked an inspiring lead for Mercedes as they headed into the summer break, with eyes now set on the Dutch Grand Prix coming up in late August.