Belgian GP: Hamilton inherits win at Spa after Russell disqualification

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell’s Mercedes teammate, won the Belgian GP, but Russell was disqualified for driving an underweight car.

At Spa, Russell’s daring one-stop strategy sealed a surprise Mercedes one-two, stunning the rest of the field. However, some ninety minutes after the race ended, the FIA declared that Russell’s car was underweight.

The W15 weighed 796.5 kg, which is 1.5 kg less than the minimum weight stipulated by the sport’s rules. When the remaining fuel was drained in compliance with the regulations, the car’s weight dropped from its initial 798 kg limit.

An hour after the infringement was verified, FIA’s Formula 1 technical delegate Jo Bauer forwarded the case to the stewards, who subsequently verified Russell’s disqualification.

With the decision, Hamilton now has two wins in three races leading up to the Formula One summer break. Earlier in July, the seven-time world champion ended a 56-race winless run by winning the British Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri of McLaren moved up to second, and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari moved up to third, completing the final podium position.

Max Verstappen, the leader of the world championship, and Lando Norris, his closest rival, were moved up to fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Russell reacted to his disqualification with an Instagram post, writing: “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.”

“The Stewards heard from the team representative of Car 63 (George Russell), the FIA Technical Delegate, the FIA Single Seater Director and the FIA Single Seater Technical Director.

“Car 63 was weighed on the FIA inside and outside scales with both scales showing the same result of 796.5 kg. The calibration of both scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor.

“During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.

“The Stewards determine that Article 4.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations has been breached and therefore the standard penalty for such an infringement needs to be applied.”

Belgian GP Result

 

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