George Russell reckons his misplaced 2024 Method 1 Belgian Grand Prix victory was a greater drive than his Las Vegas domination due to how within the former he held off Lewis Hamilton’s cost.
Russell’s mid-race change to a one-stop technique meant he cycled to the lead at Spa when his Mercedes team-mate Hamilton had led convincingly on the standard two-stopper.
The youthful Briton then held on by the tense finale because the seven-time world champion and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri arrived at his rear finish for the closing laps.
Watch: Rating Autosport’s Prime 50 Drivers of 2024 – 40 to 31
Then, with the Mercedes W15 performing properly in opposition to the 12 months’s finest vehicles in what was one other weekend of cool temperatures in Vegas, Russell gained commandingly from pole.
However, when Motorsport.com requested him which efficiency he was most pleased with on the 2024 Abu Dhabi season finale, Russell picked Spa.
This was although he misplaced that outcome for his automobile/driver post-race weight whole coming in 1.5kg beneath the minimal allowed in F1’s guidelines – a scenario to which Russell held some blame as he had identified his weight was down on what it ought to have been when he climbed aboard his W15.
“Spa was undoubtedly one of the best drive no doubt,” Russell defined.
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
“As a result of Vegas – in all probability these first 12 laps had been in all probability one of the best 12 laps I’ve ever performed in an F1 race and from there on in, it was successfully simply convey the automobile house and do not grain the tyres and we’ll win this race.
“However Belgium was a correct battle. It was a roll of the cube [on strategy].
“I knew I could not make a single mistake, particularly when it got here to these final two and three laps.
“Lewis was in DRS, I needed to nail the primary nook as a result of the run was so lengthy to Flip 5 and figuring out you may’t be too conservative as a result of he is on contemporary tyres and he’ll simply breeze previous, I am unable to lock up and make a mistake as a result of he’ll breeze previous, and simply figuring out precisely how arduous you may push.
“That was a drive I will endlessly be pleased with.”
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Method 1
George Russell
Mercedes
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