Which Formula 1 driver made the most of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend?
It’s time to give your verdict on which driver did the best with the equipment at their disposal over the last three days.
Review how each driver got on below and vote for who impressed you the most at Spa-Francorchamps.
Driver performance summary
Driver | Q stage | Q pos. | Q gap to team mate | GP grid pos. | GP pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Max Verstappen | Q3 | 1 | -0.606s | 11 | 5 |
Sergio Perez | Q3 | 3 | +0.606s | 2 | 8 |
Lewis Hamilton | Q3 | 4 | -0.349s | 3 | 2 |
George Russell | Q3 | 7 | +0.349s | 6 | 1 |
Charles Leclerc | Q3 | 2 | -0.723s | 1 | 4 |
Carlos Sainz Jnr | Q3 | 8 | +0.723s | 7 | 7 |
Lando Norris | Q3 | 5 | -0.046s | 4 | 6 |
Oscar Piastri | Q3 | 6 | +0.046s | 5 | 3 |
Lance Stroll | Q2 | 15 | +1.458s | 15 | 12 |
Fernando Alonso | Q3 | 9 | -1.458s | 8 | 9 |
Esteban Ocon | Q3 | 10 | -0.175s | 9 | 10 |
Pierre Gasly | Q2 | 12 | +0.175s | 12 | 14 |
Alexander Albon | Q2 | 11 | -1.508s | 10 | 13 |
Logan Sargeant | Q1 | 19 | +1.508s | 18 | 18 |
Daniel Ricciardo | Q2 | 13 | -1.142s | 13 | 11 |
Yuki Tsunoda | Q1 | 18 | +1.142s | 20 | 17 |
Valtteri Bottas | Q2 | 14 | -2.244s | 14 | 16 |
Zhou Guanyu | Q1 | 20 | +2.244s | 19 | 20 |
Kevin Magnussen | Q1 | 17 | +0.192s | 17 | 15 |
Nico Hulkenberg | Q1 | 16 | -0.192s | 16 | 19 |
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Vote for your driver of the weekend
Which driver do you think did the best job throughout the race weekend?
Who got the most out of their car in qualifying and the race? Who put their team mate in the shade?
Cast your vote below and explain why you chose the driver you picked in the comments.
Who was the best driver of the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix weekend?
- No opinion (1%)
- Kevin Magnussen (0%)
- Nico Hulkenberg (0%)
- Zhou Guanyu (0%)
- Valtteri Bottas (0%)
- Yuki Tsunoda (0%)
- Daniel Ricciardo (1%)
- Logan Sargeant (0%)
- Alexander Albon (0%)
- Pierre Gasly (0%)
- Esteban Ocon (1%)
- Fernando Alonso (2%)
- Lance Stroll (0%)
- Oscar Piastri (11%)
- Lando Norris (0%)
- Carlos Sainz Jnr (1%)
- Charles Leclerc (7%)
- George Russell (32%)
- Lewis Hamilton (42%)
- Sergio Perez (0%)
- Max Verstappen (3%)
Total Voters: 122
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When this poll is closed the result will be displayed instead of the voting form.
2024 Belgian Grand Prix
- Belgian GP was “still a win” for Russell despite disqualification
- High plank wear also a factor in Russell’s disqualification, say Mercedes
- Russell is sixth F1 driver to be disqualified after winning a grand prix
- Unheard radio shows why Hamilton missed Russell’s (almost) race-winning strategy
- 2024 Belgian Grand Prix weekend F1 driver ratings
Debates and polls
- Did the stewards give Verstappen the correct penalties for latest Norris incidents?
- How many feeds do you use to watch Formula 1 live?
- Is Mohammed Ben Sulayem doing a good job for F1 as FIA president?
- Five years on, should F1 scrap, keep or tweak the fastest lap point?
- Should Sainz and Perez have avoided penalties for their Azerbaijan GP crash?
ben
28th July 2024, 15:32
How can anyone vote for Russell? He got gifted that one on a silver platter. Hamilton even said his tyres still elt good but they screwed him over with the 2 stop as usual to give George the gold treatment.
Manto
28th July 2024, 15:37
What a biased comment
Russel made the decision to stay out and managed these tyres like a champion
Robert (@rob8k)
28th July 2024, 15:43
I don’t agree with ben and Russell managed that stint professionally. Although it was the only strategy left for Russell to use otherwise he was just in traffic. I don’t think it was an amazing strategy call, just the best in a bad situation.
BasCB (@bascb)
28th July 2024, 15:43
Exactly, Russel was the one to insist on the tyres feeling fine and being able to make it to the end. Given that he was the first of the top group to pit, one has to wonder, as Piastri seemed to do right in the interview before the podium, whether those others just should have trusted their drivers more instead of what the data and intervals were telling them.
We heard Sainz talking about extending, Leclerc asked about it too. And I really was surprised about the short middle stints both for Norris and for Sainz (wheras Perez’ strategy seemed to just be shovelled out of the way for Max, I cannot really see any other good reason why they came up with that strategy). There will be some interesting data analyses being done at many teams I would think.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th July 2024, 15:48
Yeah but they could have told him to pit… Mercedes do that regardless of the driver’s opinion. Get in here and end up P5!
N
28th July 2024, 15:46
You think Hamilton would have managed his stints the way he did had he been informed?
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th July 2024, 15:49
Well, it would have been a different race probably but teams usually don’t fight their own victories…
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
28th July 2024, 15:41
The 2 stopper was ultimately the faster strategy. George did a cracking job to make the 1 stopper work.
David BR (@david-br)
28th July 2024, 16:07
@tommy-c Was it? As a 1-stop won, clearly not. 2 stops was faster on a clear track. But all the drivers who pitted for a 2 stop where fine with the hard tyres at that point so I imagine quite a few could have contested the podium if they’d done the same as GR. Kudo to Russell for making the call, it jumped him to the front and he drove superbly to keep Hamilton behind. In the last laps he seemed to be making extra speed out of the first corner meaning that by Eau Rouge and the Kemmel straight he was 6-7 tenths ahead.
MXMXD (@mxmxd)
28th July 2024, 16:07
I mean… You’re kinda making the point that it should obviously be Russell.
Oople ZERO
28th July 2024, 16:45
Just admit your bias and move on :)
Moshambles (@moshambles)
28th July 2024, 17:02
I’m gutted for myself and Lewis, as a supporter, but George absolutely deserves his win. He took a chance, drove beautifully and it paid off. Lewis is going to be a bit sore about it, as anyone would, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. George gets my vote
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
29th July 2024, 7:14
@moshambles
Your comment is essentially identical to mine in another thread. Except I need for times as many words to say the same thing.
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
28th July 2024, 17:56
It was not gifted. It would have been gifted if there was a team order to hold position. Also, Russel was doing enough to pull a gap out of La Source so that there was no sideways action in Kemmel Straight.
Ronald (@mosquito)
28th July 2024, 18:30
What a pathetic take. Russell made the call to go on a one stop, hamilton did not.
Jere (@jerejj)
28th July 2024, 15:32
RUS for DOTD, but DOTW is harder to choose, with HAM my ultimate choice.
Sham (@sham)
28th July 2024, 15:35
Driver of the day? George. Of the weekend? Lewis.
BasCB (@bascb)
28th July 2024, 15:44
Good point, yeah. I do think that Mercedes as a team happened to get the best out of it.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th July 2024, 16:02
@Bascb no, these points are the most expensive points Mercedes has earned. Lewis may be project happiness but he won this race fair and square and Mercedes stole it from him. He’ll forgive them but he knows that they’ve been doing small things like designing a car he doesn’t like and throwing away races over the past 2-3 years. Today, they chose to swap with Russell intentionally which they have never done before and he knows that.
Oople ZERO
28th July 2024, 16:47
What utter madness.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th July 2024, 17:35
A lot of you tend to view F1 as a sport between machines without any human factor. Let me assure you the human factor is the most important one and relationships are established by a combination of acts and perceptions. If Lewis is happy about this, then he never raced in F1 and probably never participated in any sport. Therefore, he never existed. His existence and his record as a F1 racer practically guarantee that he’s replaying every race to understand why Mercedes chose to steal the victory from him and why they chose to not steal it from other drivers in the past.
notagrumpyfan
28th July 2024, 17:01
What a nonsense.
But I guess ben above will buy it.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th July 2024, 17:32
Points that are shifted between teammates along with a victory rarely end up helping the team. Actually, Russell will be disqualified and Mercedes did this for nothing and Lewis has noted the incident on 3 pages in his notebook…
Mercedes probably could have said “Lewis you’re too slow for George” and that would done the same damage as this call.
Moshambles (@moshambles)
28th July 2024, 17:34
Come on
EffWunFan (@cairnsfella)
29th July 2024, 7:20
@freelittlebirds
What I do not get is that even if they did do as you have theorized (which I must emphasize I do not agree with in any way shape or form) what would be so wrong in having bias towards a driver that is staying vs one that is leaving?
elchinero (@elchinero)
28th July 2024, 15:53
Have to admit that Lewis has become FAR MORE likeable! Like a Good Guy!
Oople ZERO
28th July 2024, 16:46
Respect this opinion a lot.
Paul
28th July 2024, 15:35
Either Russell or Piastri
Nick T.
28th July 2024, 16:58
Best of the day: See top 3
Drivers who did a very good job with what they had: Alonso (out qualified his car thanks to the rain and did a one stop to finish where he started), Ricciardo (finished two places hire than where he started) and Ocon
Drivers who looked disappointing: Perez, Lando (though, McLaren called a really dumb race), Logan
Nick T.
28th July 2024, 16:59
Meant to say top 4. Leclerc out drove his car.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
28th July 2024, 15:40
A tough one. Went with George as he ultimately got the job done. Reading a race and driving the strategy is a core driver skill and he called it to perfection today.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
28th July 2024, 15:45
Gone with George.
No one particularly shone over the weekend, but calling the strategy and holding Lewis off at the end gets it for me.
Empee
28th July 2024, 15:45
Good Lord. Arguably Russell’s finest performance, and he’s getting no respect. He was a non-factor in F1’s DoTD and even in Racefans’ poll, Hamilton is challenging him for #1. Great race for Hamilton, but even better for Russell on account of accomplishing two things I’ve felt he lacked; calling his own strategy for the win and making it work.
Steve Rogers (@yossarian)
28th July 2024, 15:47
I’ve actually gone with Leclerc, the Ferrari was a step behind the other 3 leading teams this weekend, but he pulled a lap from nowhere in quali for effective pole and did all he could keeping Max and Norris behind at the end.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th July 2024, 15:50
Hamilton, at the very least he deserves this. What a travesty…
Osnola
28th July 2024, 19:29
It will be gifted to him.
As requested by his fanteam….
MadMax (@madmax)
28th July 2024, 23:28
He drove the best race, apart from an underweight Russell. Cant you just handle reality?
David BR (@david-br)
28th July 2024, 15:57
Hamilton as he outqualifed Russell and did everything right, including passing Pérez, which was critical to how the race panned out. Russell made a perfect call for himself and the team, it was the only call he could make to get on the podium and it worked brilliantly. Hamilton was caught having to defend from the undercut or going for a one-stop himself. If you played the risk back, could Hamilton have made a different decision? Probably not. That’s why Mercedes used to prevent their drivers from splitting strategies.
At least Hamilton should be free to do the same now if their places are reversed, but I feel he won’t, he’s more of a team player, Russell has an Alonso-like ruthlessness at exploiting these situations.
David BR (@david-br)
28th July 2024, 15:57
*play the race back
Biker56 (@biker56)
28th July 2024, 18:45
Hey! Don’t mention the 4 letter ‘R’ word!
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th July 2024, 16:19
He reminds me more of Jenson Button who ultimately forced Lewis to leave McLaren after 3 years. Note that Russell and Button will complete 3 years together as well.
Right now Lewis is leading in points over the 3 seasons by 26 points but I have no doubt that Mercedes will find a way to put Russell on top.
After all, today’s result swung the pendulum by 22 points and a victory.
It’s not as bad as Canada 2011 where the team played no part but they certainly did their best in 2011 and 2012 to guarantee the results.
David BR (@david-br)
28th July 2024, 16:29
@freelittlebirds Maybe, there are two dimensions I can the likeness, off track with the team politicking (which I see as more a Button-Alonso thing) and on track with the strategic race calls. I always get the feeling that Russell has an air of ‘I’ll have whatever Lewis’s isn’t having’ and Mercedes have held that mostly in check. But he made the right call today to grab a podium and ultimately the win. Can’t really contest that, especially not Mercedes with a 1-2. Slight echo of McLaren’s dilemma last race.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th July 2024, 16:40
Yeah, I agree it’s almost a replay of last race but Hamilton didn’t lose position on track like Norris did (mostly on account of covering Max and Oscar). You’re right Russell likes to do the opposite of other drivers and in this case it hurt his own teammate. It’s hard to believe that Mercedes is P4 in the WCC but they seem to be totally off track even when they are on track and finishing 1-2:-)
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
28th July 2024, 15:57
I feel like Leclerc punched above his weight this weekend. His pole lap kind of came from nowhere, and he kept in contention and ahead of Verstappen and Norris in slightly faster cars. Hamilton drove well all weekend, and Russell deserves credit for making the right call on strategy. Surprised more teams didn’t try to make the one stop work – would’ve thought that would have been a strong consideration for the likes of Verstappen and Norris who were out of position and otherwise destined to get stuck in DRS trains all afternoon.
Nick T.
28th July 2024, 20:59
He did punch above his weight IMO.
F1FanaticOG (@f1fanaticog)
28th July 2024, 16:01
Had Lewis overtaken George it would have been him but George did great to hold on to it. In the end i gave it to Lewis.
Norbert
28th July 2024, 16:42
Hamilton by far as GR was being gifted again with a result. By far he is not the best guy who can save the tyres, therefore anyone could have done it, he was just left with no other choice. I am happy when a win is deserved by a driver. This was not fair, but life and sport are usually not fair. I am a big fan of what mclaren did in Hungary after they made their life hard with calling Norris first in. Mercedes had no balls to do the same…
Oople ZERO
28th July 2024, 16:50
“gifted”
The default comment toxic supporters use.
Norbert
28th July 2024, 17:24
Nothing is toxic about it. What would you call when you are getting promoted to win due to a clash or having a strategy on everyone in the top 3-5 would have been faster than you. I am a Mercedes fan by the way, but still struggling to like GR for some reason. But that is fine. And as I said I am only annoyed by sport being not fair. It is far from toxic in my dictionary.
SteveP
28th July 2024, 18:58
Snap, me too – except I figured out the reason.
Nick T.
28th July 2024, 21:03
I find George impossible to like, but “gifted” the win (1.5 kg of worn out tire rubber basically no difference) isn’t an accurate way to put it. Had Lewis done a one stop and kept the lead, I bet very few would say he was gifted the win and instead would marvel over his tire management / ability to maintain pace on old rubber. IMO, they both equally deserved the win, but Lewis drove the better overall weekend for sure.
Deerhunter
28th July 2024, 16:46
By the way, two one-stopper eventually won their respective ‘classes’, namely George Russell and Fernando Alonso.
Alonso also took the F1.5 pole as well, but I guess the midfield is going to get overlooked given how intense the battle at the top was
Nick T.
28th July 2024, 21:05
The midfield is always overlooked. Even when the battle at the front isn’t exciting, especially if a British driver isn’t involved. I’m referring to F1TV and Sky’s coverage, not RF.
jamt
28th July 2024, 17:16
Russell must be! He brilliantly executed his race strategy, wisely using his 17-laps older tyres where it mattered to keep him safe from Hamilton’s hammer. Sure, qualifying was not great, but the race is on Sunday.
Kudos for Mercedes for not requesting “hold position” during the last lap as well.
SteveP
28th July 2024, 19:04
Unfortunately for George, that presents 17 laps more wear and consequent weight loss.
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
28th July 2024, 17:52
Losers: Sergio Perez, Ferrari on Sainz’s side of the garage for a questionable middle stint, Norris, Haas
Winners include: Hamilton, Albon, Piastri
Voted for Hamilton as the driver of the weekend
Russel was fortunate that his hard tyres lasted till the end. So was Leclerc for Ferrari not messing up his race.
David BR (@david-br)
28th July 2024, 18:32
@pinakghosh Sigh, I miss when we had losers and winners as well as DOTW. Much more fun.
BLS (@brightlampshade)
28th July 2024, 19:53
Even pre-DSQ I would have said Hamilton edges it, especially as it’s driver of the weekend not day.
I was happier at 4pm than I am now, and much preferred the original classification, but I’m still going to give it to Lewis.
Leo B
28th July 2024, 20:38
Piastri.
He has rattled Norris and established his credentials as an equal in the team. Not by words and declarations but by quietly running rings round Norris.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
28th July 2024, 20:59
Normally I’d go with the race winner, which normally is the first car across the Finish Line, but in this case the car which was first was Disqualified. While Lewis did a great job to be second across the Finish Line, I decided to vote for Oscar as he put pressure upon both Mercedes drivers.
juan fanger (@juan-fanger)
28th July 2024, 22:33
Este besty of the resty, although Alonso had the better strategy.
AlanD
29th July 2024, 0:47
It is easy to say Russell drove really well to keep the tyres alive, to keep ahead of Hamilton, but you have to remember the reason he was disqualified. His car was illegal. It was underweight. That meant he had an advantage over other drivers which he shouldn’t have had. When we watch qualifiying, cars are running on the minimum amount of fuel they need because the weight of a just couple of kilos of fuel is significant. Was it talent that let him stay ahead today, or was it that tiny weight advantage? We can’t answer that question. I agree Russell managed what he was driving very well, he didn’t intentionally break any rules himself, he did everything asked of him, but the bottom line is that he was driving an illegal car, it wasn’t a level playing field.