Belgian GP Officials DQ Russell And Promote Hamilton To Winner
Giancarlo Perlas July 28, 2024- Mercedes’ 1-2 win at the Belgian GP was immediately amended after stewards ruled George Russell’s technical violation.
- Stewards promoted Lewis Hamilton as the winner of the race, while a disqualification negated Russell’s accomplishment.
In a dramatic turn of events at the Belgian Grand Prix, race stewards overturned George Russell’s victory due to a technical breach. The reversal elevated his Mercedes-AMG F1 teammate Lewis Hamilton to first place.
The moderators’ investigation revealed that Russell’s car was underweight. The findings translated to a critical violation of FIA regulations.
Belgian GP Race Result Overturned
Russell initially celebrated a hard-fought win, managing to secure first place despite a challenging one-stop strategy that saw him closely fend off Hamilton. However, the post-race technical check of stewards uncovered an issue.
Officials gave Russell’s car a passing remark in the initial weight test. Later on, they found it to be 1.5 kg below the minimum weight requirement after removing 2.8 liters of fuel.
According to the Technical Delegate, F1 officials weighed the car again, but they still found it non-compliant with regulations. The discrepancy arose because the team failed to execute the fuel-draining procedure correctly.
The mishap resulted in the car’s weight falling below the stipulated 798 kg minimum. This breach was confirmed and presented to the race stewards for further judgment.
After reviewing the evidence, the stewards upheld the disqualification. They acknowledged that the team’s error was genuine but not mitigated by any special circumstances.
Lewis Hamilton Elevated to Winner
The officials amended the results, officially recognizing Hamilton as the race winner. Their decision consequently promoted Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclercto to second and third places, respectively.
Mercedes F1 Team Principal Toto Wolff accepted the decision in the Belgian GP amid Russell’s major setback. “We must face the outcome and learn from this mistake,” Wolff stated.
Nevertheless, the team aims to move forward and rectify the issues highlighted by this incident.
