Why was Russell disqualified after winning F1 Belgian Grand Prix? What happened?

F1 exists for Sundays like this. George Russell conquered Spa-Francorchamps in a memorable race that anyone could have won, with four teams and six drivers within ten seconds of the leader, and with Hamilton and Piastri crossing the finish line in the same second as the Englishman. It was a dogfight between Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull, with Mercedes executing a perfect double strategy: Russell on a one-stop, Hamilton on a two-stop, both battling until the last lap.

But F1 is too complex to sum up in 44 laps of excitement: the Mercedes ‘63′ failed FIA checks for not meeting the minimum weight (falling 1.5 kilograms short), and was disqualified after the event. Hamilton inherits the victory ahead of Piastri (2nd), and Leclerc moves up to the podium (3rd).

No appeal from Mercedes over Russell weight

The race was a showcase for Mercedes when the fight for victory intensified. Russell made good on the one-stop strategy, improvised due to the unexpectedly low degradation of the Pirelli tires, just as Hamilton had a chance to win until the final rush and was, in fact, the virtual winner for two-thirds of the Belgian GP, and ultimately took the prize.

Mercedes admitted the weighing error (796.5 kilograms instead of 798.0; without fuel) and did not appeal the penalty. This was his 105th F1 victory, much less hard-fought and tearful than the 104th, three weeks ago at Silverstone. But it counts just the same.

Norris’ mistake at the start

The start was crucial: Leclerc defended the pole, Hamilton overtook Pérez before the first corner, eliminating Red Bull. Behind, Norris went so wide he hit the gravel, losing three positions before tackling the long climb of Eau Rouge. He seems like the clumsy villain in the 2024 World Championship movie. Sainz was the only one on hard tires, and the gamble paid off as he not only didn’t lose positions but gained them.

Verstappen was progressing but not dominating as he had in his previous two visits to Belgium, where he always took advantage of engine change penalties. Hamilton overtook Leclerc on the Kemmel straight once he could open the DRS (lap 3). The first pit stops didn’t change much, except Sainz stayed out, trying to extend the life of the hard tires until a one-stop strategy made sense.

The second stint was a period of tense calm, starting with Verstappen already ahead of Norris after an undercut not defended by McLaren. Leclerc took the initiative with a poor second stop (3.4 seconds), which did not scare Mercedes. Hamilton gave himself plenty of margin. Piastri delayed his stop by a few laps, seeking a tire advantage in the final moments of the race. In that context, Ferrari removed Sainz from the equation, who was ahead of Hamilton, because after only seven laps on mediums, he was ordered to pit again. Perhaps this way, he wouldn’t bother Lewis and Leclerc. There’s no logical explanation.

Mercedes brave with one-stop strategy

Russell stayed out (having pitted even before Hamilton) with a respectable pace, capitalising on one of Spa’s lesser-known reputations: it’s a temple of motorsport but not easy to overtake. So Hamilton pressured and pressured, opening the DRS a couple of times, but didn’t want to risk a Mercedes 1-2. Piastri wasn’t a threat either, despite having DRS on the last lap, but he was far behind. The Australian lost the victory when he almost hit a mechanic during his second pit stop, resulting in a long stop.

In the end, Hamilton found himself the winner a couple of hours after the chequered flag, which Russell had crossed first (it would have been his best victory, unfortunately). Verstappen (4th) beat Norris (5th) in their duel, and Sainz finished sixth ahead of Pérez. It feels like a letdown.