George Russell seemed to have secured his third Grand Prix victory by leading Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes one-two at the Belgian GP. However, he was disqualified because his car was underweight, and Hamilton inherited the win.
Initially, George Russell executed a daring one-stop strategy, surprising everyone with his performance at Spa. Nevertheless, about 90 minutes after the race, the FIA found his car under the minimum weight limit. The W15, Russell’s car, weighed 796.5 kilograms, 1.5 kg below the 798 kg requirement. Despite weighing in correctly before the race, it fell short after fuel drainage.
Consequently, the FIA’s technical delegate Jo Bauer referred the issue to the stewards, who confirmed George Russell’s disqualification. As a result, Hamilton claimed his second win in three races, entering the F1 summer break on a high note.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri moved up to second place, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took the final podium spot. Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, the championship leader and his closest rival, were promoted to fourth and fifth, respectively.
In response to his disqualification, George Russell expressed his disappointment on Instagram. “Heartbreaking… We came in 1.5kg underweight and have been disqualified from the race. We left it all on the track today, and I take pride in crossing the line first. There will be more to come,” he wrote.
The revised top 10 for the Belgian GP saw Hamilton in first, followed by Piastri and Leclerc. The other positions were filled by Verstappen, Norris, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, and Daniel Ricciardo.
During the hearing, the team representative for George Russell acknowledged the accuracy of the weight measurement and confirmed there were no mitigating circumstances. The breach of Article 4.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations resulted in the standard penalty.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested that Russell’s one-stop strategy likely caused the issue. The worn tires would have weighed less, contributing to the car’s underweight status. Wolff admitted the incident was a “massive blow” for Russell.
Following the disqualification, Wolff stated that Mercedes would not appeal and apologized to George Russell. He emphasized the team’s mistake and the need to learn from it. Despite the setback, Wolff highlighted the positives from the weekend, including the car’s strong performance.
Mercedes heads into the summer break having won three of the past four races. Wolff expressed optimism for the future, aiming to maintain their positive momentum after the break.
