Dramatic twist at the Belgian Grand Prix. The winner George Russell was disqualified and the podium therefore goes to Lewis Hamilton, his teammate. Due to the slip, Oscar Piastri's McLaren took second place and then Charles Leclerc's Ferrari. Max Verstappen's Red Bull is fourth.
Russell had been summoned before the stewards of the Technical Commission to explain why his Mercedes was underweight at the end of the race, encountering an "alleged violation of article 4.1 of the FIA Technical Regulations - Failure to comply with weight regulations".
Regular start, with Leclerc's Ferrari starting from pole immediately in the lead. Then Hamilton's Mercedes and Perez's Red Bull. Norris' McLaren was seventh, behind Sainz's other Red, sixth. Verstappen's Red Bull immediately gains three positions from eleventh to eighth after the first corners. Only three laps pass and Leclerc's leadership ends: his next teammate in Maranello easily overtakes him on the straight and begins to set fast laps. Behind Verstappen he sees his comeback slowed down by Norris' McLaren, his closest rival for the World Championship, who has no intention of letting him pass.
With 12 laps to go the first stops of the cars that compete for the top positions, with Sainz's Ferrari not stopping, having hard tires, and taking the lead of the race. Behind the Spaniard are Hamiton and teammate Leclerc, the only ones to lap under 1'48''. Halfway through the race Sainz changes the hard to the soft and finds himself in eighth place behind Norris. Hamilton takes the lead again, keeping Leclerc at a distance of almost two seconds.
On lap 26 the Red team tries to undercut Hamilton, stopping first and putting on the hard tires. A move that will prove to be the wrong one for the Maranello garage. The seven-time world champion also stops immediately afterwards and, returning to the track, finds himself still ahead of the Monegasque. Then everyone else except Russell who tries to get to the end with a one-stop strategy, staying ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc.
Russell remains in the lead and lap after lap he can feel the scent of the feat: the Englishman gets the strategy right at a stop and manages to keep his teammate Hamilton behind until the finish line, triumphing in the temple of speed. Until, however, the disqualification.
(Unioneonline)