Max Verstappen is not the main Formula 1 star in Belgium. George Russell is actually celebrating a coup before the summer break. But then his company car is weighed. The punishment is tough.
One and a half kilograms cost George Russell his surprise Formula 1 victory in Belgium and helped record world champion Lewis Hamilton to his 105th career triumph. The obligatory test after the strategy thriller in Spa-Francorchamps showed that Russell’s car with the number 63 was too light. The minimum weight of a Formula 1 car is 798 kilograms. But Russell’s car only weighed 796.5 kilograms. The race stewards ultimately disqualified the young Englishman.
“During the hearing, the team representative confirmed that the measurement was correct and that all necessary procedures were carried out correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that this was a genuine error on the part of the team,” said the stewards, who had been informed of the incident by the Technical Delegate.
1.5 kilograms too little
What a repercussion! This meant that Mercedes missed out on a double victory after the actually masterful performance of tyre whisperer Russell. The drivers behind Hamilton in the classification ultimately benefited. “We have to accept the disqualification with composure,” said team boss Toto Wolff after the weight decision. “We clearly made a mistake and we have to make sure that we learn from it.”
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen could only watch the thrilling spectacle at the front from a distance and involuntarily extended his dry spell. Despite catching up after a penalty, the Red Bull star missed out on success for the fourth time in a row, finishing fourth. However, Verstappen was able to extend his lead in the World Championship over McLaren man Lando Norris to 78 points in the last Grand Prix before the summer break, as the latter finished directly behind the Belgian-born Dutchman.
In untypical summer conditions in the Ardennes, Russell raced across the finish line with a risky one-stop strategy and a razor-thin lead of 0.5 seconds over Hamilton, but in the end his car had less ballast to carry than his rivals. Norris’s team rival Oscar Piastri, who had celebrated his first victory in Hungary a week ago, took second place ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari.
But not the first Mercedes double success since 2022
“Tire whisperer,” said Mercedes team boss Wolff on the pit radio after Russell’s supposed second win of the season and the long-awaited first double victory for the Silver Arrows since Brazil 2022. “Fantastic result. I definitely did not predict this victory in our strategy meeting this morning,” said Russell as he beamed with joy as he raised his trophy and was allowed to feel like a winner for a few hours. “The car felt fantastic.”
After starting from eleventh place, Verstappen was unable to fulfil his dream of a fourth Spa victory in a row. His Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who was about to retire, started from the front row for the first time since the China race in April, but ended up in seventh place, which was not enough to make him a permanent driver. “Not a top race, but a good race. Of course we are no longer the fastest,” said Verstappen. He had “maximised everything”.
“We are slightly disappointed, we expected more,” admitted Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, before praising the Grand Prix winner: “That was incredible from Russell.” Nico Hülkenberg was out of luck this weekend. The Haas veteran started 16th and finished the 14th race of the season in 18th.
At Red Bull, things are currently “more like Netflix”
Red Bull’s former dominance is gone. Sebastian Vettel’s former racing team is aware of this. In qualifying, however, Verstappen showed his class. He clearly distanced Leclerc, the closest pursuer, by 0.595 seconds. However, as Verstappen was already using his fifth engine of the year on the 7.004-kilometer course, the longest on the calendar, in violation of the rules, he had to drop down ten places. Leclerc was credited with the 25th pole of his career.
“We were used to being at the front, but today it’s different,” admitted Red Bull motorsport advisor Marko. Also because of the many construction sites off the asphalt, such as Verstappen’s constant, crowd-pleasing ranting against his own team in Hungary, the Austrian said: “This year it’s more like Netflix for us.”
The situation surrounding Perez also plays a major role in this. The Mexican has had a contract until the end of 2025 since the beginning of June, and there is also the option of another season. But after a strong start to this year, Perez has been declining more and more. The 34-year-old is in danger of being eliminated from Formula 1 during the holidays.
Verstappen’s “race to limit the damage”
“That’s not enough,” said Marko on the TV channel Sky. “We’ll sit down in England on Monday evening and analyse it.” In the “theoretical case” of being released, according to Marko, Red Bull substitute Liam Lawson (22) as well as Daniel Ricciardo (35) and Yuki Tsunoda (24) from sister team Racing Bulls are ready.
After a tough duel, Perez had to let Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes pass after just the first few meters. At the start of the second lap, Verstappen was already in eighth place, directly behind his World Championship rival Norris. The McLaren driver, in fourth place, once again didn’t get off to the best start and drove in a wide arc over the lane markings. Hamilton, meanwhile, took the lead from Leclerc.
Verstappen was in a dilemma. The Dutchman wanted to apply pressure, but at the same time he couldn’t let his tires wear out. “I see it as a race to limit the damage,” said Verstappen and brought forward his pit stop, but was then stuck in traffic in 14th place.
Harsh punishment for Russell
However, the 26-year-old continued to make his way towards the top three. At halftime, Verstappen was only ahead of Russell in the second Mercedes, McLaren driver Piastri, Leclerc and the leader Hamilton.
Leclerc was the first of the top drivers to have the next set of hard tires fitted during a second pit stop. Hamilton reacted shortly afterwards. However, his teammate Russell stayed in the lead and ultimately outdid the competition. At least that was how it looked for a long time before his company car had to go on the scales.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
