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Lewis Hamilton battled through a challenging Belgian Grand Prix weekend to secure a top-seven finish and claim the Driver of the Day accolade, but the seven-time world champion didn’t hold back in describing it as “definitely a weekend to forget.”
A chaotic start to the weekend for Lewis Hamilton
Racing for Ferrari, Hamilton faced an uphill battle from the very beginning at Spa-Francorchamps. Both the Sprint and Grand Prix qualifying sessions ended in frustration as a spin and track limit violations prevented him from progressing past Q1. His struggles compounded when he was forced to start the main race from the pit lane after making power unit and setup changes overnight.
Making moves through the field
Despite the tough grid position, Hamilton put on a masterclass in recovery driving. The race began under a delayed rolling start due to heavy rainfall. Conditions remained tricky as the track transitioned from wet to dry, and Hamilton was among the first to gamble on switching from worn intermediate tyres to slick mediums.
The call paid off. Lewis Hamilton gradually carved his way up the order, making bold moves into Les Combes and at the final chicane to finish in P7, gaining 11 positions during the race.
“I always enjoy those sort of conditions,” Hamilton said post-race. “It was massively tricky being that far back in conditions where at the beginning it was really not that easy to see.”
Strategic brilliance and a glimpse of optimism
Hamilton credited the team for an effective race strategy, stating:
“Team did a great job as they always do throughout the weekend and they did a great job with the strategy, so big thanks to them and I’ll try and do a better job for them next weekend.”
Despite acknowledging the improvements made throughout the race—particularly in braking setup—Lewis Hamilton was candid about his disappointment.
“Not the result that I want this weekend, and definitely a weekend to forget, but positives to take from the car today.”
Struggles with the setup
This season, Lewis Hamilton has found it difficult to match the pace of teammate Charles Leclerc, who finished on the podium in third place. Braking has been a recurring challenge for the Briton, especially during early sessions.
“FP1 and straight into [Sprint] Qualifying with these new brakes definitely caught me out and definitely we’ll learn from that,” he added.
Although the race showed glimpses of pace and potential, Hamilton knows there's still ground to cover heading into the next Grand Prix.
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