Lewis Hamilton reveals extent of car damage after George Russell clash

Lewis Hamilton has stated he was missing “50 points” of downforce following his coming together with George Russell at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Hamilton started the race from fifth on the grid but had his sights set on progressing forward early on following a challenging Saturday at Spa-Francorchamps.

However, as he went side-by-side with his former team-mate at Turn 5, contact was made, which instantly eliminated Russell from the race.

Hamilton was able to continue but did so with a damaged Ferrari car, eventually crossing the line in fourth place.

“We had the pace to win today,” Hamilton told Viaplay. “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 was deemed at fault for the collision and was issued a five-second time penalty, which he served during his pit stop.

However, he is currently under investigation for an unsafe release after hitting a mechanic as he pulled out of his pit lane box.

It marked another setback for the seven-time champion around Spa, as he also made contact with the wall during FP3 - which Hamilton suggested started his struggle spiral.

“The car was a real struggle because of the damage,” he said. “So I was definitely struggling, but I gave it everything. 

“I was pushing as hard as I could, and then in the last stop we didn't get to put the wing in, so I just had a lot of understeer. 

“I struggled to catch the guys ahead. But without yesterday, it would have been better in qualifying, it would have been a much stronger race.”