Lewis Hamilton stated that he had the conditions to win the Belgian Grand Prix of Formula 1, but saw his chances diminish after the incident with George Russell in the early laps. The Ferrari driver revealed that he raced practically the entire race with a significant loss of aerodynamic downforce.
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The seven-time world champion started in fifth position on the grid and was looking to gain ground quickly, after a complicated Saturday in Spa-Francorchamps. However, the side-by-side battle with his former teammate at turn 5 completely changed the course of his race.
This contact between the two immediately eliminated Russell from the race, while Hamilton managed to continue competing with damage to his car. Despite the problems, he crossed the finish line in fourth position, although he is still under investigation for an incident in the pits.
After the race, the Briton highlighted the impact of the damage suffered on his performance: “We had the pace to win today, but anyway, I had this damage. I still had good pace, but I was losing something like 50 points of aerodynamic downforce. Given that, I accept the result,” he said.
The FIA stewards considered Hamilton responsible for the collision, applying a five-second penalty, served during his pit stop for tire change. In addition, the British driver awaits the conclusion of the investigation for an unsafe release from the pits after hitting a mechanic when leaving his position.
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According to Hamilton, the problems faced at the Belgian GP began even before the race. The driver recalled his crash into the wall during TL3, an episode that, in his assessment, negatively influenced the entire rest of the weekend.
“The car was really difficult to drive because of the damage. I was definitely struggling, but I gave it my all. I pushed as hard as I could, and on the last stop, we couldn’t adjust the wing, so I had a lot of understeer,” he added.
Finally, Hamilton regretted not being able to pressure the competitors ahead of him: “I had difficulties catching the drivers ahead. Without what happened yesterday in TL3, the qualifying session would have been better and the race would have been much stronger,” concluded the seven-time world champion.
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