Hamilton gains from George's weight pain

RULE INFRINGEMENT COSTS RUSSELL WIN

- Daniel Moxon

IT WAS a tiny measurement that had huge consequences for both Mercedes drivers.

For Lewis Hamilton a 105th win, his second this month, after ending a 945-day wait for a victory at Silverstone three weeks ago.

He will be even more glad for that, as this would have been an awful way to finally end that run.

That is because it came at the expense of team-mate George Russell, who had driven so masterfully.

Eyebrows were raised when Russell suggested switching to a one-stop strategy over the radio.

After all, the Spa circuit had been chewing up tyres all weekend.

But he correctly sensed that degradation was a lot lower than expected, despite the warmer temperatures.

Hamilton looked like he would roar past at the end on fresher tyres.

However, after several laps of duelling, Russell was still leading when the chequered flag flew.