Lewis Hamilton Loses Control in Ferrari Title Battle

Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari dominance is slipping away as he lost control in the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing fourth after a penalty and a collision with his mechanic.

What happened?

Lewis Hamilton's messy Spa saw him punt George Russell off the track on the first lap, earning a five-second penalty from the race stewards. Despite this, he was on the tail of Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc shortly before the pit-stops. A virtual safety car call in favour of Ferrari allowed both cars to pit, leaving Leclerc in the race lead and Hamilton sixth.

Why it matters for Lewis Hamilton

For much of this season, Hamilton has dominated Leclerc, prompting discussion outside of Ferrari that the team should prioritise Hamilton over his team-mate to try and defeat Kimi Antonelli in the title battle. However, given the last two races where Leclerc has been the superior driver, this No.1 stance in favour of Hamilton is growing weaker race-by-race. Leclerc has now recorded 1st and 2nd places in Britain and Belgium respectively, taking the Ferrari to its limits in a battle with Antonelli.

What comes next?

There's a lot to think about now for Hamilton as he heads to the Hungarian Grand Prix, a track he absolutely loves in the Hungaroring having won eight races there. He blamed the Belgian GP result on his FP3 crash on Saturday, triggering a wave of unfortunate events. While this is a fair argument, he has to ask how these errors are creeping into his performances in the first place. It's no good being fast if you mistakes elsewhere keep you out of contention. Even with a 33-point lead over Leclerc, the momentum is with the Monegasque driver. If Hamilton doesn't use one of his favourite tracks in Hungary to turn his season around, he may find himself in a tough spot.

Leclerc is Ferrari's fastest again

That's because this is the second straight grand prix where he has been soundly beaten by Leclerc, and it should be of serious cause for concern for him. For much of this season, Hamilton has dominated Leclerc, prompting discussion outside of Ferrari that the team should prioritise Hamilton over his team-mate to try and defeat Antonelli in the title battle. Even now, Hamilton has a 33-point advantage over Leclerc, but given the last two races where Leclerc has been the superior driver, this No.1 stance in favour of Hamilton is growing weaker race-by-race.

Hungary now crucial for Hamilton

There's a lot to think about now for Hamilton as he heads to the Hungarian Grand Prix and a track he absolutely loves in the Hungaroring having won eight races there. He blamed the Belgian GP result on his FP3 crash on Saturday, triggering a wave of unfortunate events. While this is a fair argument, he has to ask how these errors are creeping into his performances in the first place. It's no good being fast if you mistakes elsewhere keep you out of contention. Even with a 33-point lead over Leclerc, the momentum is with the Monegasque driver. If Hamilton doesn't use one of his favourite tracks in Hungary to turn his season around, he may find himself in a tough spot.

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