George Russell was disqualified from the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix for having an underweight car, handing victory to his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton.
Russell had pulled off an audacious one-stop strategy, stunning the field and securing a surprise Mercedes one-two at Spa. However, approximately 90 minutes after the race concluded, the FIA announced that his car had come in underweight.
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The W15 weighed 796.5 kilograms, 1.5 kg below the minimum weight required by the sport’s regulations. Initially, the car met the 798 kg limit, but once the remaining fuel was drained in accordance with the rules, it fell below the minimum weight.
The FIA’s Formula 1 technical delegate, Jo Bauer, referred the matter to the stewards, who confirmed Russell’s disqualification an hour after the infringement was identified.
This decision grants Hamilton his second victory in three races, heading into F1’s summer break. The seven-time world champion had previously won the British Grand Prix earlier in July, ending a 56-race winless streak.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was promoted to second place, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc moved up to third, taking the final podium spot.
World championship leader Max Verstappen and his closest challenger Lando Norris were promoted to fourth and fifth, respectively.
Reacting to his disqualification, Russell posted on Instagram: “Heartbreaking… We came in 1.5 kg underweight and have been disqualified from the race. We left it all on the track today, and I take pride in crossing the line first. There will be more to come.”
2024 Belgian Grand Prix race results
The 2024 Belgian Grand Prix Race was held on 28 July 2024, at 3:00 pm local time.
| Pos | No | Driver | Car | Laps | Time/retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DQ | 63 | George Russell1 | Mercedes | 44 | 1:19:57.040 | 0 |
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 44 | +0.526s | 25 |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | 44 | +1.173s | 18 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 44 | +8.549s | 15 |
| 4 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 44 | +9.226s | 12 |
| 5 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 44 | +9.850s | 10 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 44 | +19.795s | 8 |
| 7 | 11 | Sergio Perez2 | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 44 | +43.195s | 7 |
| 8 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 44 | +49.963s | 4 |
| 9 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault | 44 | +52.552s | 2 |
| 10 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB Honda RBPT | 44 | +54.926s | 1 |
| 11 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 44 | +63.011s | 0 |
| 12 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | 44 | +63.651s | 0 |
| 13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | 44 | +64.365s | 0 |
| 14 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 44 | +66.631s | 0 |
| 15 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 44 | +70.638s | 0 |
| 16 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 44 | +76.737s | 0 |
| 17 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams Mercedes | 44 | +86.057s | 0 |
| 18 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 44 | +88.833s | 0 |
| NC | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 5 | DNF | 0 |
2Fastest lap: Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing) – 1:44.701 (lap 44)
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