Official: George Russell disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix
Having been disqualified after the Belgian Grand Prix, the penalty finally fell for the Briton. His single-seater did not respect the minimum weight. Lewis Hamilton regained victory.
The sky fell on George Russell’s head. After winning the Belgian Grand Prix with a daring strategy, the Briton finally saw his title taken away from him. Nearly three hours after the race finished, the penalty was imposed.
The British driver’s single-seater did not comply with the mandatory minimum weight at any time during a race weekend. In the Parc Fermé, the Mercedes was weighed at 798 kilograms. Once the fuel was removed, the stewards finally recorded a weight of 796.5 kilograms. This is 1.5 kilograms below the regulations.
« Car 63 is disqualified from the Race classification. All other drivers move up in the
classification » explained the stewards.
Driver number 63 loses his third Formula 1 victory. It is his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who receives the winner’s trophy. The seven-time world champion achieves there his 105th success in the discipline, just a few weeks after his triumph, at home, in Silverstone. On his side, Charles Leclerc steps onto the podium.
« 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. »
This disqualification has significant consequences for the constructors’ championship, as the German team loses 18 points. Only Lewis Hamilton’s 25 will count. Mercedes will therefore lose substantial points to McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull, whereas it had pulled off a major coup.
