"Lewis Hamilton got robbed": Mercedes driver's fans not happy after George Russell wins the F1 Belgian GP

Mercedes pulled off a strategic masterclass as George Russell fended off Lewis Hamilton to take the checkered flag in Belgium. The 26-year-old held on to his lead, took victory for the second time this season, and helped the team claim a perfect 1-2 finish. However, Lewis Hamilton's fans are unhappy with how things transpired for him at Spa-Francorchamps.

Russell took the victory in a race in which no one saw him as the favorite. The youngster started the Belgian GP from P6, and thanks to his superior tire optimization, he was able to complete the race with just one stop, whereas all the top drivers went for a two-stop one.

Russell significantly benefited from his decision to extend his opening stint on hard tires. Opting for a second pit stop could have relegated him outside the top five.

After Hamilton disclosed in the cooldown room that his tires were fine, supporters now contend that Mercedes had no justification for bringing him to the pit stop.

The seven-time world champion's supporters think that more was in store for Hamilton. They felt Mercedes could have helped the 39-year-old win the race by keeping him out with a single stop, even though he was able to move up one position from his starting position.

Below are some reactions taken from X:

After listening to Hamilton's confession in the cooldown room, one fan wrote, "Lewis (Hamilton) got robbed."

Another fan had a cheeky take on Hamilton's team, "Bro knows Mercedes cooked him."

"Why couldn’t Hamilton decide to stay out but Russell could?" asked another fan following Hamilton's confession.

Another fan had a similar response on the strategy, "Team def screwed him over. He deserved this race win."

"Both of 63's wins have been gifts this year," A fan said, blaming Mercedes for helping Russell.

"I hate Mercedes," wrote another.

However, the FIA stripped George Russell of the race win after his #63 W15 failed in the preliminary tests by the FIA.

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Toto Wolff explains why Mercedes allowed George Russell to have one-stop

George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 28, 2024 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealed why the team decided to leave George Russell out on track despite calling his teammate Lewis Hamilton for the pit stop. The Austrian stated that the Briton had a job at his hands, and he had "nothing to lose."

"We had to cover Leclerc and Norris, and George had nothing to lose, so we left him out," said Wolff in the post-race interview.

With this triumph, Mercedes has now won three of the previous four races this year; George Russell had won in Austria earlier, and Lewis Hamilton had won in Great Britain.