Sport

George Russell’s Belgian GP disqualification hands Lewis Hamilton victory

Russell’s Mercedes found to be below allowable weight; Oscar Piastri promoted to second, Charles Leclerc third

George Russell was disqualified after crossing the line first at the Belgian Grand Prix after his car came in under the minimum weight. His team-mate Lewis Hamilton was promoted to first place. Photograph: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
Giles Richards
Sun Jul 28 2024 - 18:29

George Russell has been disqualified after crossing the line first at the Belgian Grand Prix, with his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton promoted from second to first.

Russell’s car was inspected by the FIA, weighed and an hour and a half after the finish they announced it had been found to be under the minimum weight allowed. The matter was passed to the stewards who disqualified the British driver.

He had made a bold call to try a one-stop strategy, which had seemingly paid off. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who crossed the line third, was promoted to second with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – denied his moment on the podium post-race – later bumped up to third from fourth. Championship leader Max Verstappen, who had started 11th, was fourth in the revised results with Lando Norris fifth.

The FIA statement confirming Russell’s disqualification for being below the minimum weight of 798kg read: “Car 63 [Russell’s] was weighed on the FIA inside and outside scales with both scales showing the same result of 796.5kg. The calibration of both scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor.

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“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.” – Guardian

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