Sharjah 24 Reuters: George Russell lost his Belgian Grand Prix win on Sunday after it was revealed his car was underweight. Lewis Hamilton, Russell's teammate, was declared the winner.
Race officials discovered Russell's car weighed 798.0 kilograms, just meeting the minimum weight requirement. After draining the fuel tank, the car weighed 796.5 kilograms—3.3 pounds under the limit.
Russell’s representatives admitted it was a genuine error by the team, leading the stewards to overturn the result.
Mercedes principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the mistake, saying, "We have to learn from that. As a team, there are positives to take. For George, it’s a massive blow."
The race had been thrilling, with Russell finishing just ahead of Hamilton and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, all within 1.1 seconds. Russell’s strategy of stopping only once compared to others who stopped twice paid off as he crossed the finish line half a second ahead of Hamilton.
Hamilton's win, his second of the season, follows his victory at the British Grand Prix. Piastri was promoted to second place, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who started from pole, finishing third. Championship leader Max Verstappen, starting from 11th due to an engine penalty, finished fourth.
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