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George Russell

Hamilton wins Belgian Grand Prix after Russell disqualified

George Russell has been disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix, handing victory to Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

Russell Hamilton race Belgium
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To news overview © XPBimages

George Russell has been disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix, handing victory to Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton. 

Russell one-stopped his way to cross the line first at Spa, just half-a-second clear of Hamilton, who had dominated the race after taking the lead on lap three.

Hamilton closed the gap after his second stop on Russell, but could not quite get close enough as Mercedes recorded a third win in four races and a first one-two since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

However, in post-race scrutineering, Russell's car was found to weigh 796.5 kg once the fuel had been drained from it, some 1.5kg under the required dry weight of 798kg as demanded by the technical regulations. 

The matter was referred to the stewards, with Russell promptly disqualified and the result expunged.

It means Hamilton is promoted to the 105th grand prix victory of his career, with Oscar Piastri second and Charles Leclerc now completing the podium. 

It is the first time the winner of a grand prix has been disqualified since Michael Schumacher at the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix for wear to his skid plank.

Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon all shuffle forward one position, with Daniel Ricciardo moving into the points positions in 10th for RB. 

Russell disqualification stewards verdict in full

The Stewards heard from the team representative of Car 63 (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 inside and outside scales with both scales showing the same result of 796.5 kg. The calibration of both scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor.

During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.

The Stewards determine that Article 4.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations has been breached and therefore the standard penalty for such an infringement needs to be applied.

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