George Russell to be disqualified by the FIA after winning in Belgium
The Briton, who held off Lewis Hamilton at the end of the Spa race, could lose his victory. His single-seater does not comply with the weight limits set by the FIA.
It is not completely finished. George Russell, who arrived first in this Belgian Grand Prix after a thrilling end to the race, could lose everything. The Briton underwent the usual post-race checks and it turns out that his car is not compliant with the regulations.
The FIA weighed the Mercedes which displayed a weight of 798 kilos, the required minimum weight. However, the federation had not yet removed the fuel to analyze it. After taking the sample, the W15 showed a mass of 796.5 kilos. That is 1.5 kilos less than the required minimum weight.
This has been reported to the FIA stewards, who could then sanction the British driver. If they enforce the regulations, George Russell could be disqualified from the race. A situation similar to that of Sebastian Vettel in 2021 in Hungary. At the time, the German had lost his second place on the podium.
« After the race, car number 63 was weighed and its weight was 798.0 kg, which is the minimum weight required by Article 4.1 of the RT. Next, the fuel was removed from the car and 2.8 liters of fuel were drained. The car was not completely emptied according to the draining procedure submitted by the team in their legality documents, in accordance with Article 6.5.2 of the RT. The car was re-weighed on the FIA’s internal and external scales and the weight was 796.5 kg. The calibration of the internal and external scales was confirmed and acknowledged by the competitor. » details the press release.
Given that this is 1.5 kg below the minimum weight required by article 4.1 of the Technical Regulations, which must also be respected at all times during the competition, I am submitting this matter to the stewards for their review.
In case of disqualification, Lewis Hamilton could potentially recover the victory in this Belgian Grand Prix. It would be his 105th success in Formula 1. It would push the boundaries and records of the sport even further.
Such a penalty would be serious for Mercedes. While the team had achieved a one-two finish, there would only be one man left on the podium. This would have major consequences on the constructors’ standings since Toto Wolff’s team had caught up with Ferrari and McLaren.
