What is happening in Belgium is sensational. A few hours after the end of the Belgian GP, the race direction issued an official note which highlights the disqualification of the winner, George Russell. The motivation is linked to the weight of his W15 which would not have met the standards imposed by the FIA. The car number 63 was in fact 1.5 kg below the established minimum weight of 798 kg. The scenario and the finishing order then changes again which now sees Russell's teammate, Lewis Hamilton, on the top step of the podium. Thanks to this disqualification, Charles Leclerc also climbs onto the podium. Bad news for the young Englishman's Fantamanagers who, following the victory, are forced to suffer a bitter -10 at Fanta F1. But let's see in detail what was reported in the official notes from the race direction.
The W15 did not respect the minimum weight required by the regulation
The first official note, signed by Jo Bauer and published by the race management, it reported the reasons for the investigation into Russell.
“After the race, car number 63 was weighed and its weight was found to be 798,0 kg, which is the minimum weight required by article 4.1 of the TR. Subsequently, the car was emptied and 2,8 liters of fuel were removed. The car was not completely emptied according to the emptying procedure presented by the team in the legality documents, as article 6.5.2 of the TR was respected. The car was weighed again on the FIA's internal and external scales and the weight was 796,5 kg. The calibration of the external and internal scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. As this weight is 1,5kg less than the minimum weight required by Article 4.1 of the TR, which must be respected at all times during the race, I refer the matter to the Stewards for their consideration."
Russell gets disqualified, Hamilton the new winner of the Belgian GP
A real shame to cancel George Russell's achievement. The Englishman managed to achieve victory in Belgium with a great display of intelligence and sensitivity, completing the 44 laps with just one stop. But there is no escape from the regulation. Sebastian Vettel suffered the same fate in 2021 in Hungary even if in that case it involved not enough petrol. Russell's case immediately seemed to be more complex, because it was less obvious than Vettel's.
The confirmation of the disqualification arrived about an hour after the first note and reports the commissioners' decision:
"Car 63 is disqualified from the race classification. All the other drivers advance in the standings.”
” The Stewards listened to the representative of the car 63 team (George Russell), the FIA Technical Delegate, the FIA Single Seater Director and the FIA Single Seater Technical Director. Car 63 was weighed on the FIA's internal and external scales and both scales showed the same result of 796,5 kg. The calibration of both scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. The team also acknowledged that there were no extenuating circumstances and that it was a genuine team error. The Stewards determine that Article 4.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations has been breached and therefore the standard sanction for such infringement must be applied."
