Lewis Hamilton Criticizes Mercedes’ Strategy Following Belgian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has voiced his frustration with Mercedes’ strategy during the Belgian Grand Prix, revealing that he was not informed about his team-mate George Russell’s plan to execute a one-stop strategy.

Hamilton was on course for victory at Spa-Francorchamps until Russell, who had opted for a single pit stop, overtook him. However, Russell was later disqualified due to his car being 1.5kg underweight, which led to Hamilton being awarded the win.

After the race, Hamilton expressed his dissatisfaction with Mercedes’ decision-making. He noted that he had informed the team that his tyres were in good condition at the time of his pit stop but was not made aware of Russell’s strategy.

Hamilton said to Sky Sports: “You have to trust the people you work with. I trusted my strategists, and I should be able to rely on them completely. I told them my tyres were fine, yet they pulled me in. Did I know I was at risk of being one-stopped by my team-mate? They didn’t tell me that. Congrats to George. It’s great to go into the break with such a performance.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff defended the team’s strategy, explaining that pitting Hamilton was a necessary move. He stated: “I’d have preferred to see two winners today. However, we needed to cover Leclerc and Norris to avoid being undercut, so that was the decision. George had nothing to lose. We were in P5. The one-stop and the two-stops were showing P5, so we kept him out. The strategy worked for George but not for Lewis. I would have liked to have two winners today.”

Wolff added, “We didn’t believe it was possible, but we decided to stay out since we would have finished fifth in both scenarios. George managed to make it last.”

Hamilton, who had also secured victory at the British Grand Prix, celebrated this win as his first since December 2021, highlighting his continued resilience and skill on the track.