Lewis Hamilton sent a radio message to Ferrari at the Belgian Grand Prix that saved his race weekend.
It was a weekend to forget for the seven-time world champion. Hamilton was knocked out of Q1 in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, and called his qualifying performances “unacceptable” in an apology to the team.
But Hamilton rolled back the clock on Sunday for a brilliant fightback, finishing seventh after starting 18th on the grid. His incredible strategy call during the race may well have saved his Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton makes an inspired strategy call during the Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix took place under tricky conditions. The race start was delayed due to heavy rain, and the race began with a rolling start on a drying track.
Hamilton proved himself the class of the field in the wet. He pulled off a series of daring overtakes to climb quickly up to 14th position. And he leaned on his wealth of experience to make a bold strategy call, bringing himself up the running order.
On lap 11, with every car on the intermediate tyre, the drivers contemplated switching to the dry tyres. Hamilton was the one to make the call.
He said on the radio, “It’s very close for sure. I’m down to try if you want. These tyres are dropping off. Probably go to mediums though.”
He dived into the pits and switched to the mediums, and by the time the rest of the grid reacted, Hamilton had risen seven places. Fans were amazed by Hamilton’s drive, and it’s made even more impressive now we know it was his call to pit early.
| Position | Constructors' Standings | Points |
| 1 | McLaren Racing | 516 |
| 2 | Scuderia Ferrari | 248 |
| 3 | Mercedes-AMG Petronas | 220 |
| 4 | Red Bull Racing | 192 |
He would finish the race there, and with Charles Leclerc’s podium, Hamilton helped to rescue a solid result and shore up Ferrari’s grip on second in the Constructors’ standings.
Ferrari finished upgrading their 2025 car
Ferrari brought an upgrade to Spa as they seek to improve the car’s performance compared to McLaren. Hamilton, despite spinning in qualifying, said he felt the improvement, but they were no closer to McLaren.
The championship leaders ran away with the race for a one-two finish, Piastri beating Norris to first. Leclerc said that while he felt his car was faster, somehow the McLarens had pulled away further.
That has caused Ferrari to stop development of this year’s car while they focus on the 2026 regulations.
2026 sees a new generation of F1 cars, and a golden opportunity for teams to fire themselves up the order for next season. Ferrari, who look solid in second place, can now pay their full attention to that.