George Russell disqualified from Belgian GP for underweight car

George Russell, of Mercedes F1, has been disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix after his car was found to be underweight, giving his teammate Lewis Hamilton the race win. 

Feature image credit: Mercedes F1

The 26-year-old race winner pulled off a masterclass strategy opting for an ambitious one-stop race at Belgium’s iconic Spa-Francorchamps, denying Hamilton a race win when the chequered flag fell.

Pre-disqualification, the win marked his third career race win in Formula 1 and Mercedes’ first 1-2 finish since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, in Brazil. 

However, Russell has been disqualified as he has been found with an underweight car following post-race scrutineering.

As per the technical regulations, which needs to be obeyed throughout the competition, Russell’s W15 was found to be 1.5kg under the minimum weight allowed. 

Initially, the car was on the minimum weight limit allowed of 798kg as per the Technical Regulations, Article 4.1. His car was weighed again after the fuel was drained and it was found to be 1.5kg under the limit, weighing at 7. 

It was confirmed that the FIA’s inside and outside weighing scales were calibrated which was also witnessed by the team. The matter was referred to the stewards.

Following the referral, the stewards disqualified Russell from the classification of the Belgian Grand Prix. 

In the stewards report, they said:

“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.”

In turn, Russell’s disqualification gives Hamilton the win, bringing his almighty total to 105 career race wins. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounded out the top three, in second and third respectively.

In addition, all drivers will move up one place meaning Visa Cash App RB’s Daniel Ricciardo now takes the final point-scoring position, moving to 10th after finishing 11th pre-Russell disqualification. 

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Russell at risk of punishment for technical infringement after Belgian GP
• Russell controls his way to Belgian GP F1 victory
• Tyre Strategies: two-stop remains preferrable for F1 Belgian GP
• Zhou given 3-place grid penalty for impeding Verstappen in Belgian GP qualifying
• Leclerc takes Belgian GP pole despite Verstappen quickest in qualifying
• Verstappen tops wet F1 Belgium GP final practice as Stroll crashes out

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.