Lewis Hamilton Lost 50 Points of Downforce at Spa

Lewis Hamilton revealed that he lost approximately 50 points of downforce after contact with George Russell damaged his Ferrari during the Belgian Grand Prix.

Hamilton started the race from fifth and attempted to move forward during the opening phase after a difficult Saturday at Spa-Francorchamps. However, contact occurred as he went side by side with Russell approaching Turn 5 on the first lap.

The incident immediately eliminated George Russell, while Hamilton was able to continue with aerodynamic damage to his car. He eventually crossed the finish line in fourth place.

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“We had the pace to win today. But anyway, I had this damage. I still had great pace, but I was losing like 50 points of downforce or something. So given that, I’ll take it,” Hamilton said.

The stewards found Hamilton responsible for the collision and issued him with a five-second time penalty, which he served during his pit stop. The damage continued to affect the car’s balance throughout the race, particularly through increased understeer.

The Ferrari driver also explained that the required front-wing adjustment was not completed during his final stop. That left him struggling further to close the gap to the cars ahead during the final phase.

“The car was a real struggle because of the damage. I gave it everything and pushed as hard as I could, but on the last stop we didn’t get to put the wing in, so I just had a lot of understeer,” he added.

Hamilton believes his difficulties at Spa began when he made contact with the wall during FP3, which then affected his qualifying and race preparation. Attention will now turn to restoring Ferrari’s performance at the next round after another Belgian weekend shaped by damage and penalties.