Lewis Hamilton sends message to George Russell after being disqualified from the Belgian GP

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Elation turned to frustration very quickly in the Mercedes garage after the final Formula 1 race before the summer break.

George Russell nailed a one-stop strategy that nobody thought was possible at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Russell started the race in 6^th with the prospect of trying to overtake the two McLaren cars ahead of him to make any sort of progress.

However, Mercedes had a quicker car than some expected and it wasn’t long before his teammate Lewis Hamilton was leading the race ahead of Charles Leclerc.

Sergio Perez continued to drop away despite starting on the front row and Russell eventually found his way past the Mexican before he was forced to pit to avoid holding up teammate Max Verstappen.

Red Bull fans weren’t happy with Perez’s strategy meanwhile Mercedes looked to have nailed Russell’s alternate call by keeping him out when everyone around him changed their tyres for a second time.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver George Russell’s life outside F1 from net worth to height

Unfortunately, Russell suffered heartbreak after taking the chequered flag and celebrating on the podium when his car was found to be underweight.

Hamilton has now sent Russell a message on Instagram after the news broke.

It’s one of the more unusual ways that the seven-time world champion has secured a victory as his tally of race wins ticked over to 105.

He’s now also the only driver on the grid aside from Verstappen who has won more than one Grand Prix this season.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Lewis Hamilton sends message to George Russell after inheriting Belgian GP win

Hamilton and Oscar Piastri who finished third were both quickly closing in on Russell during the final laps but made individual mistakes that they thought cost them 1^st and 2^nd respectively.

Piastri ran long in his pit box on his final stop, costing him two seconds and forcing him to take more out of his tyres passing Leclerc that may have cost him on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Hamilton couldn’t quite get the best run out of turn one on the final few laps to get the necessary run down to the chicane to overtake Russell and he was visibly frustrated getting out of the car as he thought he’d thrown away a chance to win the race.

However, upon discovering that he had won the race, Hamilton sent Russell a message and said: “Great drive today @georgerussell63, really am gutted for you and the team losing the win and also our 1-2 which the team deserved.

“Let’s keep pushing, work towards another 1-2 in the second half.”

Russell was understandably gutted and said on his own Instagram story: “Congrats on the win @lewishamilton.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes AMG F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Mercedes looking to the future after Belgian Grand Prix victory

Team principal Toto Wolff will be frustrated that the team have thrown away 18 points at Spa, but encouraged with the direction Mercedes have gone in since the Canadian Grand Prix.

He knows Hamilton only has 10 race weekends left before he moves to Ferrari and a decision will need to be taken sooner rather than later on his replacement.

Wolff has said that Carlos Sainz is still an option for Mercedes although he appears to be closing in on joining another team.

Williams have made a bid to hire Sainz that includes a special release clause that could theoretically see him drive a Silver Arrows in 2025.

With Max Verstappen almost certainly off the table, all signs point to Kimi Antonelli driving for Mercedes next year.

The Italian teenager drove very well in a disrupted Formula 2 weekend and was let down by a slow pit stop in Sunday’s Feature Race.

Martin Brundle has even suggested that Mercedes want Antonelli to be the driver who replaces Hamilton next season.