Russell wins Belgian Grand Prix in Mercedes 1-2
George Russell won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa on Sunday holding off his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a stunning Mercedes 1-2. McLaren's Oscar Piastri came home in third with pole-sitter Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in fourth. Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who started in 11th, finished fifth, extending his championship lead over the second McLaren of Lando Norris who finished one place further back. Russell began the race in sixth place and hit the front after opting for a one-stop pit strategy which saw him nursing his second set of tyres for 34 of the race's 44 laps. "We definitely didn't predict this win in our strategy meeting this morning," said Russell for whom this was a third grand prix win. "One-two for the team was awesome and what a way to go to the break." Verstappen leads the championship race with 275 points, 78 clear of Norris. Red Bull lead the constructors' championship 42 points ahead of McLaren. Formula One now heads into a summer break with the next race in Zandvoort for the Dutch GP on August 25. (AFP)