Lewis Hamilton admitted to having "mixed feelings" after securing at Spa-Francorchamps his 105th career win in F1, a victory the Briton owed to the unfortunate disqualification of his Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Champagne was sprayed effusively on the podium by Russell and Hamilton, who flanked Mercedes’ lead strategist Joey McMillan as the group rejoiced in the team’s resounding 1-2 finish, unsuspecting of what would follow.
The mood soured a while later when Russell’s disqualification was confirmed after his Mercedes car was found to be 1.5kg under Formula 1’s 798kg minimum weight, a technical breach that handed the win to Hamilton.
But the seven-time world champion’s joy was predictably tempered by the circumstances.
“Mixed feelings for today’s result,” Hamilton wrote on social media. “Obviously happy to get the win but I feel for George and it's disappointing for the team not to get the 1-2.
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Hamilton had delivered a masterful performance throughout the race, pushing Russell hard and showcasing the impressive – and unexpected pace – of the Mercedes W15.
Contrary to his teammate, Hamilton relied on a two-stop strategy but ultimately came up short at the checkered flag by just half a second.
“A lot of positives to take from today though,” he added. “At the start of the weekend, we didn’t expect to be at the front or the pace we had, so it’s great to see just how much progress has been made and that we are in the fight.
“We take all these positives with us into the break and will come back a stronger team ready to keep the momentum going.”
In the post-race press conference, before Russell’s disqualification was announced, Hamilton said that he was surprised to find himself racing at the front.
“On Friday it was pretty disastrous for both of us and we were really struggling with balance,” he said.
“Then today the car came alive and I was really surprised to, firstly, get into the lead and then be pulling away from everyone.
“It felt fully under control and I’ve not had that for years and so that’s why it was also a bit of a strange way to finish it.
“But it is it’s great to go into the into the summer break with the one two. The team did really deserve it and did such an amazing job.”
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