Mercedes driver George Russell has been disqualified from the Belgium Grand Prix on Sunday due to his car being found to be underweight. As a result, his teammate Lewis Hamilton has been promoted to first place.
Initially, the car was deemed compliant, but according to the technical delegate’s report, it was discovered that the car had not been fully emptied of fuel. The car was subsequently weighed again on both the FIA inside and outside scales, and the results showed that it weighed 796.5 kilogrammes, which is 1.5 kilogrammes below the minimum weight requirement. As a consequence, all other drivers have moved up one place in the final classification.
In their release, the governing FIA stated, “During the hearing, the team representatives confirmed that the measurement is accurate and that all necessary procedures were carried out correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine mistake on their part.”
Russell had initially finished ahead of Hamilton in a Mercedes one-two after employing a one-stop strategy. However, with his disqualification, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri now secures second place, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc takes third.
“We must accept our disqualification gracefully. We have unquestionably made an error and must ensure that we learn from it,” expressed Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes.
“We will take the time to reflect on what transpired and comprehend the missteps that occurred. It is disheartening to lose a one-two finish, and we extend our sincere apologies to George, who exhibited a remarkable performance throughout the race.
“Lewis, undoubtedly, is now elevated to first place. He demonstrated exceptional speed during the two-stop strategy and is a deserving victor.”
With this victory, Hamilton has now triumphed in the Belgian Grand Prix on five occasions, bringing him level with Ayrton Senna and just one win behind Michael Schumacher, who holds the record with six victories at Spa.
