2024 F1 Belgian GP: Winners and Losers

The 2024 F1 Belgian GP is now done and dusted, and we have Lewis Hamilton winning his second race of the season. The driver didn't cross the chequered flag as the winner, as the win came after teammate George Russell (who had initially won the race) was disqualified for his car being underweight.

In P2 we had Oscar Piastri who put together a brilliant race followed by Charles Leclerc who finished P3. The race was eventful and interesting from start to finish as there was a lack of clarity on who was faster. In the end, the battle between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell kept everyone engaged as well.

As the F1 Belgian GP race weekend comes to an end and the sport heads to the summer break, who would be happy and satisfied with how the weekend went, and who would be upset? Let's take a look.

2024 F1 Belgian GP

Winner

Lewis Hamilton

Could we say Lewis deserved the win? It's hard to say yes after we saw his teammate beat him, but one thing is clear, the driver found the sweet spot with the car very early and then just pounced on it. A very impressive overall performance from the driver.

Loser

George Russell

This must have been gut-wrenching for George Russell. The Mercedes driver put on truly some of the best driving this season. It was his call to not pit again, and it was his brilliance that helped him fend off his teammate.

While many would speculate that the 1.5kg lighter car helped George, that's very inconclusive for now. For George, this was a pretty impressive and memorable run for many.

Winner

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc secured a podium at the F1 Belgian GP not because of the car he had under him, but despite the car he had under him. The car was clearly not quick enough to keep up with any of Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull, but it was all about extracting the best from what he had under him. The fact that he secured a podium in the 4th fastest car showed why Ferrari persists with him.

Loser

Red Bull

A bad second driver cost Red Bull a win at the F1 Belgian GP. There's no other way to put this because the car was quite clearly capable of winning.

Max Verstappen couldn't make his way through the field because the DRS train coupled with a shortened zone didn't help. This was a damage limitation for the team in the end. Unfortunately, it was on a weekend where it could have won.

Winner

Daniel Ricciardo

The clip of Daniel Ricciardo walking away with a smile on his face after a chat with Christian Horner was something that would stick with many as Red Bull takes a call on who would replace Sergio Perez.

Daniel did his job at the F1 Belgian GP by securing a point for the team, and it does appear that it might be enough to get him a shot in the big leagues after the summer break.

Loser

Sergio Perez

At some point, Sergio Perez needs to accept reality, which is the fact that the Mexican will not keep his seat at Red Bull. There's a bigger reality here, where the question is what he does next. The sensible approach might be to reach out to Audi and see if the slot is available. Jumping from one big brand to another won't be a bad thing after all.