George Russell clinched a stunning victory for Mercedes at the Belgian Grand Prix, holding off a charging Lewis Hamilton in his Ferrari to seal a one-two for the Silver Arrows’ former star duo. But the post-race chatter from the teams painted a picture of mixed fortunes at Spa-Francorchamps.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff couldn’t hide his delight, praising Russell’s flawless drive and the team’s bold one-stop strategy that turned the race on its head. “George was immense today,” Wolff said. “We rolled the dice with the tyres, and it paid off big time.” Russell echoed that, admitting the win felt like redemption after a tough start to 2025. His rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli, finishing just outside the points, called it a learning curve on the demanding track.
Over at Ferrari, Hamilton was gracious in defeat, tipping his hat to Russell while ruing a strategy call that left him chasing shadows in the final laps. “Second is solid, but we had the pace for more,” he noted. Charles Leclerc, who crossed the line fourth, pointed to tyre wear as the culprit, saying the SF-25’s setup needed tweaks for the next round. Team principal Fred Vasseur kept it pragmatic: “A podium for Lewis on debut here is progress, but we’re hungry for wins.”
Red Bull’s day unraveled early. Max Verstappen, starting from pole, slipped to fifth after a pit stop blunder. “Frustrating doesn’t cover it,” Verstappen grumbled. “We lost the plot on strategy.” Sergio Perez fared worse, retiring with engine woes. Christian Horner admitted the RB21 lacked the edge in mixed conditions, vowing a deep dive before Zandvoort.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri grabbed third, thrilled with the papaya squad’s consistency. “We maximized everything,” he said. Lando Norris, in sixth, felt traffic hurt his charge but praised the upgrades. CEO Zak Brown beamed: “Podiums are becoming routine – that’s the goal.”
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso soldiered to seventh, calling it a grind but crediting the team’s grit. Lance Stroll, out early with suspension failure, was blunt: “Not our weekend.” Mike Krack urged patience amid their midfield battle.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon both scored points, with Gasly eighth. “Solid haul,” Gasly said, eyeing momentum. Ocon agreed, noting better balance in the A525.
RB’s Yuki Tsunoda nabbed ninth, happy with the scrap. Daniel Ricciardo, 10th, joked about surviving the chaos. Laurent Mekies highlighted their opportunistic play.
Kick Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas missed points, with Zhou 11th. Mattia Binotto called it close but no cigar, focusing on aero gains.
Williams’ Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto struggled, Albon 12th. James Vowles pinpointed setup issues in the wet-dry mix.
Haas rounded out with Nico Hulkenberg 13th and Oliver Bearman 14th. Ayao Komatsu noted reliability as a plus, despite the lack of speed.
The Belgian GP delivered drama, but as teams pack up, eyes turn to the Dutch Grand Prix with lessons learned and scores to settle.
