Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 driver George Russell boldly decided to go all the way to the end of the race with only one tire change during Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix. Russell won the race, and teammate Lewis Hamilton was in second place. Then, F1 Race Stewards disqualified Russell’s victory due to a rule violation.
Why Russell was disqualified
FIA F1 Rules and Regulations specify that an F1 race car must weigh at least 798 kilograms (1,759 pounds) without fuel. The mandatory minimum weight requirement exists to ensure fair competition.
Prior to the weigh-in, it’s the racing team’s responsibility to drain the fuel from the car. After the discovery that the Mercedes team had not adequately drained his race car, Russell’s first-place finish was disqualified. The car was reportedly 1.5 kg underweight, or 3.3 pounds.
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff issued a statement about the disqualification on X: “We have to take our disqualification on the chin. We have clearly made a mistake and need to ensure we learn from it. We will go away, evaluate what happened and understand what went wrong. To lose a one-two is frustrating and we can only apologise to George who drove such a strong race.”
Russell’s teammate, seven-time Grand Prix World Champion Lewis Hamilton, the second to cross the finish line in the race, moved up to first place, winning his second Grand Prix of the season and the 105th F1 career win.
“Lewis is of course promoted to P1; he was the fastest guy on the two-stop and is a deserving winner,” Wolff continued on X.
Verstappen also paid toll for an FIA rules violation at Belgian
Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen, the current leader in driver championship points for the 2024 season, also took a hit for an FIA rules violation at the Belgian Grand Prix. The FIA F1 Technical Regulations limit the number of specific powertrain components a driver can use during an entire F1 season. Drivers are allowed to use four internal combustion engines each season. The first violation of the rule results in a 10-place starting position penalty.
Red Bull fitted Verstappen’s car with a fifth engine for the Belgian Grand Prix. When a new engine failed in practice before the Canadian Grand Prix, the Red Bull team knew they’d need an additional unit. The decision to employ a new ICE motor in Belgian was based on the track’s relatively long straight sections which improve the chances passing other cars.
On Saturday, Verstappen qualified for position one for the race, which meant that he had to start in the 11th position. Verstappen eventually finished the race in fifth place, upgraded to fourth place following Russell’s disqualification.
