Thanks to an incredible strategy call, George Russell stunned the F1 field at the Belgian Grand Prix
Move aside, Babe Ruth.
When the checkered flag flew at the end of the Belgian Grand Prix, it brought the curtain down on the first act of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
If the Grand Prix is any indication, the second act will be something even more magical than the first.
Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix had everything the sport has to offer, and more. Thrilling overtakes, varied strategy calls, and drivers pushing themselves and their machines to the limit amidst some of the most iconic scenes in Formula 1.
In the end, it came down to a driver who called his shot early in the race and his teammate, one of the sport’s living legends, running at the front of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton capitalized on an incredible start to seize the lead early in the Belgian Grand Prix, while teammate George Russell was one of the first contending drivers to come into the pits for a new set of tires, all the way back on Lap 10. But shortly after the midway point of the Grand Prix Russell called his shot, asking his team to consider going against the conventional wisdom — something Alex Jacques described on F1TV as “absolutely audacious” — and making this a one-stop race.
As the laps ticked down Russell was in the lead, with his only true threat Hamilton behind him. His tires were losing grip lap over lap, and the seven-time champion was all over his rear wing. If there was any grip left in those worn hard tires, it was time to extract every bit of rubber from them.
“How can this be possible from George Russell,” questioned Jacques on the penultimate lap.
But Formula 1 in 2024 is the year of the impossible becoming possible.
Somehow, some way, Russell fended off all of his rivals as the only driver to pull off a one-stop strategy, taking the win by half a second over his teammate. Over the closing laps, Russell rocketed around Spa on tires that by the checkered flag were 34 laps old, and as Russell coasted into Parc Ferme the tires were smoking.
But they were smoking in front of the placard designated for the racewinner. Hamilton came in second, followed by Oscar Piastri, the winner the last time out at the Hungarian Grand Prix, in third.
“It should not have been possible to win the Grand Prix on a one stop,” declared Jacques.
Again, the impossible becoming possible.
“Amazing result, we definitely didn’t predict this this morning in our strategy meeting,” said Russell to Guenther Steiner trackside after the race. “The tires felt great and I kept saying ‘I think we can do the one-stop. I think we can do the one-stop.’
“We rolled the dice, but it was only possible because the car was feeling great.”
For Mercedes, it was their first one-two since the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix. While Hamilton conceded to Steiner trackside that Mercedes joining a true F1 Constructors’ Championship fight alongside Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari might be too much to ask, the Silver Arrows have been in stunning form these past few race weekends. Dating back to Russell’s surprising victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, Mercedes has won three of the last four races, an incredible run of form that has upended the entire grid.
Now, that grid will go quiet. The summer shutdown is upon us, and when the grid comes to life again the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics will be over, the NFL and college football seasons will be on the verge of beginning, and summer will be slowly giving way to autumn.
And this sport, and its fans, will have had a chance to catch their breath, with good reason.
Because the second act of the 2024 F1 season looks to be something extraordinary.
