The Spa-Francorchamps circuit witnessed a new setback for Mercedes driver George Russell during the first lap of the Belgian Grand Prix, after colliding with his teammate, Lewis Hamilton.
Russell, who started the race from third place, was quickly overtaken by Charles Leclerc on the Kemmel straight. Later, while approaching the Les Combes corner, he received a nudge from Hamilton, who struggled with understeer while attempting to overtake him. The collision caused Russell’s Mercedes to be pushed into the gravel, leaving it immobilized.
This breakdown forced the race to host a safety car period for four laps, further complicating the competition for Russell, who saw his chances of scoring points in a championship that was just beginning to be contested in jeopardy.
The Mercedes driver was in an unfavorable situation, with a 25-point deficit to the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli. The fact that Antonelli led the race from pole only exacerbated Russell’s problems, who now faces a broader margin than before.
In his post-incident comments, Hamilton expressed that he felt trapped in an ‘impossible position’ when maneuvering his vehicle during the corner. After a thorough inspection, the race stewards imposed a five-second penalty on Hamilton for his action, although he was able to continue competing, finishing in fifth place behind Oscar Piastri from McLaren.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
