Of all Lewis Hamilton's records and stats in F1, perhaps one of the most remarkable is that in his 368 starts to date, he has only retired 32 times.
This is a percentage rate of 8.70%. He has retired at 17 different venues of the 38 he has raced at since 2007, but it is the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa where Hamilton has the most DNFs, with five in total.
However, on the flipside, when he does finish a race at the 7.004km circuit, he does so with a remarkable record, with an average position of 2.23.
That is better than Silverstone, where he has won nine times (3), the Hungaroring with eight wins (2.41) and in Canada with seven wins and an average finishing position of 2.38.
From his 13 finishes at Spa, he has five wins, including his 84th and final for Mercedes 12 months ago after team-mate George Russell was disqualified for being underweight after leading a one-two on the road.
Only twice has Hamilton finished at Spa and not secured a podium, taking fourth in both his first appearance in 2007 and in 2023.
The article continues below the table.
Lewis Hamilton's DNFs at Spa
| Year | Lap | Team | Reason for DNF |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1 | McLaren | Innocent party in multi-car Les Combes accident |
| 2011 | 13 | McLaren | Collided with Kamui Kobayashi at Les Combes |
| 2012 (pictured below) | 1 | McLaren | Collected by Romain Grosjean to trigger Turn 1 chain-reaction accident |
| 2014 | 39 | Mercedes | Retired after Lap 2 damage sustained in collision with Nico Rosberg |
| 2022 | 1 | Mercedes | Tipped into the air after contact with Fernando Alonso at Les Combes |
Positive signs for Hamilton
This weekend, Hamilton will be looking to finally score his first grand prix podium for the Scuderia, having recently set an unwanted record.
His failure to finish in the top three at Silverstone meant the Briton has now gone 14 races without a podium on a Sunday. His last visit to the rostrum was P2 in the 2024 Las Vegas GP behind Russell for Mercedes.
In positive news for Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc is the fact that Ferrari is set to deploy its new rear suspension upgrade, having tested it at Mugello after the British GP.
The hope is that the new parts will be able to enable the ride height to be lower, generating more downforce from the ground effects.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look ahead to this weekend's F1 Belgian Grand Prix. Red Bull's new chapter is a major talking point following the arrival of Laurent Mekies, as is the fight for the drivers' title.
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