'Heartbroken' Russell loses shock Belgian GP victory – International media reacts

Lewis Hamilton inherited victory in the Belgian Grand Prix after initial race winner George Russell was disqualified. 

Russell was disqualified three hours after the race had concluded due to his car being 1.5kg underweight. 

Russell's disqualification promoted Oscar Piastri to second and Charles Leclerc to third, whilst it was damage limitation for championship leader Max Verstappen in fourth. 

Hamilton's win was the 105th of his F1 career, with Mercedes having now won three of the last four races since the Austrian Grand Prix.

However, what did the rest of the world make of the race? Find out as RacingNews365 takes you through the headlines of some of the biggest global publications.

🇬🇧 The Times - 'Russell ‘heartbroken’ as disqualification hands victory to Hamilton'

Starting off in the United Kingdom, and The Times has focused, unsurprisingly, on Russell being disqualified. 

The Briton started in sixth and never looked like a podium contender at the very least, before he took the bold call to complete a one-stop strategy. 

After everyone else had pitted for a scheduled second time, Russell insisted over the radio he wanted to stay out, a decision which gave him a big enough lead that he was able to cross the line in first, before later being disqualified. 

🇮🇹 La Gazzetta dello Sport - 'Russell, the "weight" of a mistake: is it the fault of the new aerodynamic package?'

In Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport has also looked into Russell's disqualification after being in breach of Article 4.1 of the technical regulations. 

Russell's car weighed 796.5kg, 1.5kg below the legal minimum. The Italian publication has offered the theory that the weight loss could be due to Mercedes' new floor. 

Whilst the team returned to its old floor ahead of qualifying after running the new package during Friday testing, La Gazzetta question the possibility that the floors could have had a weight difference which was not correctly adjusted for in the set ups of both cars. 

🇫🇷 L'Equipe - '"Performance wise we have to do better," Verstappen hopes his RB20 will get a boost after the summer break'

In France, L'Equipe has focused on Verstappen asking for more performance from Red Bull, who are no longer the quickest team. 

McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari were all able to compete with Verstappen in Spa-Francorchamps, with Sergio Perez having not been in a position to support the Dutchman. 

Verstappen did extend his lead in the standings to 78 points, although McLaren is now only 42 points behind Red Bull and catching in rapid fashion.

🇳🇱 De Telegraaf - 'Toto Wolff after painful disqualification George Russell: 'Lewis Hamilton deserved winner''

De Telegraaf, a leading Dutch publication, has written about Toto Wolff's reaction to Russell's disqualification which lost Mercedes a 60th one-two in F1. 

The team principal stressed that Mercedes must apologise to Russell for its error leading to the car being below the legal minimum weight. 

However, Wolff also expressed that Hamilton was a "deserved winner" having boasted the strongest pace throughout the 14th round of the 2024 F1 season.

🇩🇪 BILD - 'Corinna returns to Schumi’s favourite track'

In Germany, BILD shared that Corinna Schumacher – the wife of Michael – was in the paddock during the Belgian GP. 

Spa-Francorchamps is referred to as the seven-time world champion's 'living room' in Germany, with the former driver having became an F1 star on his debut which was made in Spa.

He made his F1 debut in the 1991 Belgian GP for Jordan, before he claimed his first victory in the championship in Belgium the following season for Benetton. 

🇦🇺 Herald Sun - 'Post-race Ricciardo footage ignites F1 rumour mill as Aussie all smiles with Red Bull'

And finally, in Australia, the Herald Sun has focused on images of a post-race discussion between Daniel Ricciardo, Lauren Mekies and Christian Horner. 

Ricciardo finished 10th in the Belgian GP and will take part in a TPC test for Red Bull on Wednesday, alongside reserve driver Liam Lawson. 

It is believed the duo will fight potentially for Sergio Perez's Red Bull seat, with the Mexican continuing to underdeliver.