Fans reacted to Lewis Hamilton’s claim of losing the race because of the strategy he was put up on in Belgium. His teammate George Russell won the race with less than a second’s gap from him in P2.
Russell started the race in P6 and was on for a competitive stint within that position. However, early in the race, he talked about the possibility of a one-stop race. Spa-Francorchamps usually requires drivers to make two stops, and while other drivers did that, Russell took the lead in the race after moving to the hard compound.
Lewis Hamilton got very close to chasing him for the race lead by the end, battling him with less than a second’s gap. However, he was not able to shorten the gap for the lead and finished in P2. Later in the post-race interview, he explained that Russell had conserved his tires well meanwhile his strategy did not allow him to take the lead:
“I was trying to get close obviously but George did a great job on going long on the tyres. Every stint I had tyres left but the team pulled me in so… Unfortunate but, it is one of those days.”
Fans on social media, however, did not seem to be too impressed with Hamilton’s statement. They believed he should have fought harder or asked for a different strategy as Russell did. One user accused him of not behaving like a team player, saying:
“Not very “World Champion like” Lewis. You have to be a ‘team leader and a member of the team’ ,can’t keep throwing them under the bus when you can’t overtake your teammate. “
https://twitter.com/ThecasualfanF1/status/1817584712216695262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1817584712216695262%7Ctwgr%5E6933c30d3f8f903442a646b44717d8acd11c49a8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ff1%2Fnews-not-world-champion-like-lewis-fans-react-lewis-hamilton-blaming-mercedes-strategy-losing-george-russell-f1-belgian-gp
“Alright so he should have Overtook Russell and risked Piastri coming in and taking a position,” suggested another user.
https://twitter.com/NC_LH_SEA/status/1817569067277959553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1817569067277959553%7Ctwgr%5E6933c30d3f8f903442a646b44717d8acd11c49a8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ff1%2Fnews-not-world-champion-like-lewis-fans-react-lewis-hamilton-blaming-mercedes-strategy-losing-george-russell-f1-belgian-gp
While more users suggested that he should have attacked Russell more in the final laps for the lead, a few mentioned that it was necessary for Lewis Hamilton to make the two-stopper to avoid an undercut.
“Tbh he should have done more to overtake Russell, wasn’t our day today. We move,” wrote a fan.
https://twitter.com/whudjo/status/1817569114657034306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1817569114657034306%7Ctwgr%5E6933c30d3f8f903442a646b44717d8acd11c49a8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportskeeda.com%2Ff1%2Fnews-not-world-champion-like-lewis-fans-react-lewis-hamilton-blaming-mercedes-strategy-losing-george-russell-f1-belgian-gp
George Russell disqualified from Belgium after post-race check; Lewis Hamilton takes 105th F1 victory
After the post-race check on the #63 Mercedes W15 driven by Russell to a victory, it was found that the car was 1.5 kg underweight.
His car weighed 796.5 kg after the race, which is underweight according to the FIA F1 regulations. Following the rules, he was disqualified from the race, handing Lewis Hamilton the win. This marked his record-extending 105th F1 race victory.
Russell running the race on a one-stop strategy could have played a role in him burning more fuel since he was nursing the hard compound for a long time but had to push as Hamilton chased him.
