George Russell secured an incredible victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, taking his tally to two race wins this season. While his first win was rather straightforward at the Austrian GP, the latest win at Spa proved to be far more theatrical and heroic, with Russell defying all the odds and executing a perfect one-stop strategy to achieve the unachievable. Well, if only this was actually the case. Barely an hour into Russell’s commendable race win, the FIA has dropped a massive bombshell on Mercedes’ high-flying morale.
Yes, Russell, the race winner has been disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix for breaching the FIA norms. The statement from the FIA suggested that Russell’s car was underweight by nearly 1.5 kgs following a series of checks. The race director, Jo Bauer, was the first to report to the FIA regarding the shocking result from Russell’s car. Soon after, it all ended up in the hands of the governing body, and they came up with a stern penalty for the Briton.
The statement that eventually disqualified George Russell
Here’s the statement from Bauer: “After the Race, car number 63 was weighed and its weight was 798.0 kg, which is the minimum weight required by TR Article 4.1. After this, fuel was drained out of the car and 2.8 litres of fuel were removed. The car was not fully drained according to the draining procedure submitted by the team in their legality documents as TR Article 6.5.2 is fulfilled. The car was weighed again on the FIA inside and outside scales and the weight was 796.5 kg.
“The calibration of the outside and inside scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. As this is 1.5 kg below the minimum weight requested in TR Article 4.1, which also has to be respected at all times during the Competition, I am referring this matter to the Stewards for their consideration.”
Possible reasons why Russell’s car was underweight
According to several pundits, there are two major reasons behind the shocking turnaround for Russell. One might wonder how Mercedes may have missed something as evident as this, or the FIA despite the checks following the qualifying on Saturday. Well, Russell’s long stint on hard tyres may have had a considerable effect on the overall weight of his car.
BREAKING: George Russell is disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix. 🤯
His car was underweight by 1.5 Kgs
The new top 5 –
1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Oscar PIastri
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Max Verstappen
5. Lando Norris #F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/9n9m7qDCd7— Motorsport Hour (@MotorsportHour) July 28, 2024
With a burnt-out hard tire with almost no rubber, the car was obviously going to be lighter than the rest of the pack. And the other reason is Spa’s unique post-race tradition. Drivers are barred from completing an in-lap after the chequered flag. Instead, all 20 drivers are obliged to enter the pit lane through the exit, which means they can’t pick up rubber which, again, could have a minor impact on the car weight.
But, on top of all the aforementioned reasons, it could also be the change of spec, the numerous updates to the car but not much running in the dry. Nevertheless, the latest verdict has reinstated Lewis Hamilton back on the top, making it victory number 105 for the seven-time world champion. What’s more, Charles Leclerc, too, finds himself in the top three; a major relief for the Monegasque after the poor stint in recent races.
Sara Chavan