George Russell was disqualified from Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix after his Mercedes was found to be underweight after the race, handing victory to teammate Lewis Hamilton. A technical report released after the race said Russell’s car was 1.5kg under the minimum weight limit for car and driver combined. “Car 63 has been disqualified from the race classification,” the stewards announced in a statement. “All other drivers move up in the standings,” they added. The 26-year-old Briton started sixth on the grid before overtaking Hamilton in second and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in third.
Russell completed the 44-lap race with just one pit stop, which saw him do 34 laps on his second set of tires, a strategic decision made during the competition that allowed him to take the lead and an unexpected third career win.
“Heartbreaking,” Russell said on social media.
“We arrived 1.5kg underweight and were disqualified from the race.
“We left everything on the track today and I’m proud to cross the line first.
“There will be more to come,” he added.
Russell’s car initially weighed 798kg, which is exactly at the minimum weight limit for car and driver combined.
But the flight attendants discovered that the car was not completely empty of fuel.
“The car was weighed again on the FIA internal and external scales and the weight was 796.5 kg,” the statement said.
“The calibration of the external and internal scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor.”
As a result, Russell’s teammate Hamilton now takes victory, the 105th of his career and second of the season.
Piastri is second, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc takes third place on the podium.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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