Following the Belgian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton voiced his concerns about not receiving the same one-stop strategy that allowed his teammate George Russell to clinch victory.
It wasn’t only Hamilton’s crew at Mercedes that found themselves caught off guard by the sudden viability of the one-stop strategy; among the top 10 finishers, only Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin opted for this approach.
The race at Spa-Francorchamps showcased Formula 1’s unpredictable nature, with Mercedes bouncing back from a challenging weekend to secure a temporary one-two finish, while the much-anticipated showdown between McLaren and Max Verstappen for the win failed to materialize.
The race unfolded in stark contrast to the expectations of those in the paddock. Given the partially resurfaced circuit, it was believed that tyre degradation would exceed that of previous years, leading teams to anticipate a two-stop strategy using medium-hard-hard compounds.
This strategy was also expected to facilitate overtaking more easily than at most circuits, so teams weren’t overly concerned about being undercut by rivals during pit stops, as they believed their drivers could regain positions on fresher tyres.
However, the limited dry-weather running on Saturday left both teams and tyre supplier Pirelli completely blindsided by the unexpectedly low wear on the hard compound, which unexpectedly reinstated the possibility of a one-stop strategy—previously deemed “off the table” by Pirelli.
With narrow gaps between teams, a shortened DRS zone on the Kemmel Straight, and deteriorating dirty air effect, the minimal tyre degradation significantly hindered overtaking, underscoring the importance of maintaining track position.
In the race’s closing laps, Hamilton was unable to overtake Russell despite having fresher tyres, while Oscar Piastri quickly closed the gap but also found himself stuck behind both drivers.
Russell won the race on the road with a one-stop strategy, but was later deemed underweight and disqualified
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris also showcased superior pace on his hard tyres compared to Verstappen on the less durable mediums, yet couldn’t navigate past in their fight for what became fourth place.
If clear air was king, as Piastri suggested to his race engineer, why didn’t he or other drivers emulate Russell’s strategy?
“We considered that,” explained McLaren team principal Andrea Stella. “We weren’t convinced that it would work.
“For us, it was quite a significant gamble, as committing to it without a successful outcome could derail the race day.”
“It can be quite painful because by the time you realize it’s not working, it may be too late to pit, resulting in significant position losses.”
Stella acknowledged that McLaren is adopting a more cautious approach as it competes with Red Bull in the constructors’ championship, implying that Russell, who seemed likely to finish fifth, had less to lose.
“In Russell’s scenario, there was potentially greater incentive for a risky strategy, but we prefer a more robust strategy,” he said.
“We must be circumspect with adventurous strategies, which in hindsight turned out to be effective. We scored higher than Red Bull again and are now just 42 points behind.”
“The approach with Lando was solid as well; we were just surprised at our inability to overtake as Verstappen managed to extend the mediums in the final stint better than most others.”
McLaren admitted to a risk-averse approach in its constructors’ championship fight with Red Bull
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who managed to finish third, considered going long on his first pit stop but ultimately chose a more traditional strategy.
“It was one of our possibilities,” Leclerc said. “However, I knew it was highly improbable for me to execute it.
“Being in front, if you were to be undercut by three or four cars, you’d lose a significant number of positions if the one-stop failed. It was simply wiser to align with the drivers behind.”
“I believe [Mercedes] had superior pace, which allowed them to successfully implement the one-stop because they were exceptionally strong.”
At the moment of Leclerc’s assessment, team-mate Carlos Sainz had not completed sufficient laps for Ferrari to fully understand the hard compound’s remarkable durability.
“The difficulty lies in starting with the medium tyres and having to make that call on lap 11 when everyone is pitting, without any knowledge on the hard’s negligible degradation,” team principal Fred Vasseur remarked.
“It was hard to envision completing 35 laps at Spa on a single set of tyres.”
This sentiment was echoed by Verstappen, who could have potentially benefited from a one-stop strategy to capitalize on his 11th-place starting position following his grid penalty.
Alonso was the other outlier in the top 10 who kept going on the one-stop
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez had only one set of hard tyres and two sets of the less desirable mediums available, a situation flipped compared to their competitors.
In theory, this could have made a one-stop advantageous, but Verstappen felt the RB20 was not kind to its tyres, which limited this strategy’s feasibility.
“We had two mediums and a hard; I think an additional hard tyre would have been beneficial,” he stated. “Of course, George managed to win using a one-stop, but I doubt we had the tyre wear or life to pull that off.”
Team principal Christian Horner echoed Verstappen’s sentiment: “All the data from Friday indicated high degradation and graining, but the exact opposite occurred, with a one-stop strategy winning the race. I don’t think anyone could have predicted that.”
“I don’t believe George set out to execute a one-stop, but congratulations to him and Mercedes for making it work, as I’m sure they didn’t anticipate its success at any point.”
