What Max Verstappen’s race engineer said about Lewis Hamilton immediately after the Belgian Grand Prix, ‘big win…’

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Lewis Hamilton kept his scoring streak alive at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend, somewhat against the odds. Hamilton has still picked up points at every event this season.

He would have wanted far more than six from this event, particularly with Ferrari introducing a major upgrade. Teammate Charles Leclerc scored another podium after finishing fourth in the Sprint, a total haul of 20.

But Hamilton was satisfied with his recovery drive after starting the race at the back of the field. A track limits breach had seen him dumped out in Q1 on Saturday.

The seven-time world champion managed to gain 11 places, though, and salvage a respectable result. The delayed race started in wet conditions, but the track quickly dried out.

Lewis Hamilton’s Belgian Grand Prix strategy gamble commended by Max Verstappen race engineer

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen missed out on the podium for the third race in a row. Verstappen, who had won the Sprint, started fourth and couldn’t make any progress.

When he crossed the line, stand-in engineer Simon Rennie ran him through the pecking order. And he acknowledged that Hamilton had produced something of a strategic masterclass to fuel his comeback.

The 40-year-old was the very first driver to swap intermediates for slicks, which parachuted him into the top seven. Perhaps Rennie and Red Bull regretted being too cautious with Verstappen.

“Okay mate, that was P4,” he said. “Piastri, then Norris, then Leclerc, then us in P4. Behind you, Russell about 13 seconds.

“Then Albon sixth, Hamilton seventh – he stopped one lap earlier than everyone else for dry tyres, it looked like he got a big win out of that – and then Lawson eighth, Bortoleto ninth and Gasly P10. Yuki was P12.”

Verstappen has already conceded defeat in the title race, with McLaren simply looking too fast. With little to lose, perhaps there was an argument to be more aggressive with strategy.

Ferrari are often criticised for their execution, but relative to their starting positions, they seemingly maximised their result on Sunday.

Laurent Mekies pinpoints ‘impossible’ problem that hurt Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen

Verstappen found himself stuck behind Charles Leclerc at the beginning of the race. That was the same period where Hamilton was scything his way through the pack, but he had a much larger pace advantage in his Ferrari as he scrapped with midfield cars.

New team principal Laurent Mekies told Verstappen overtaking was ‘nearly impossible’ at Spa. Hamilton had the same issue, becoming stuck behind the slippery Williams of Alex Albon after his one and only pit stop.

Verstappen also faced engine issues during the race, complaining at one point of ‘clipping’ on the straight. He may have lacked the optimal power output in his pursuit of Leclerc.

Both Hamilton and Verstappen were frustrated by the delayed start, with track conditions appearing raceable. However, visibility was race control’s main concern after hearing feedback from other drivers.