F1 News: George Russell Faces Disqualification From Belgian GP After Stewards Referral

George Russell faces potential disqualification from the Belgian Grand Prix after his car was found to be underweight in a post-race inspection.

Mercedes AMG Petronas driver George Russell takes video of the crowd during driver engagements in the Germania Insurance Amphitheater at Circuit of Americas on Saturday Oct. 21, 2023 ahead of the Formula 1 Lenovo United States Grand Prix on Sunday. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

Mercedes driver George Russell faces potential disqualification from the Belgian Grand Prix after a post-race inspection found his vehicle to be underweight. An official referral to the Stewards has been made by the FIA Formula One Technical Delegate, Jo Bauer, sparking concern that the British driver could lose his victory.

The official letter from the FIA states:

"After the Race, car number 63 was weighed and its weight was 798.0 kg, which is the minimum weight required by TR Article 4.1. After this, fuel was drained out of the car and 2.8 litres of fuel were removed. The car was not fully drained according to the draining procedure submitted by the team in their legality documents as TR Article 6.5.2 is fulfilled. The car was weighed again on the FIA inside and outside scales and the weight was 796.5 kg. The calibration of the outside and inside scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor.

"As this is 1.5 kg below the minimum weight requested in TR Article 4.1, which also has to be respected at all times during the Competition, I am referring this matter to the Stewards for their consideration."

The consequences of this technical non-compliance are significant. Under F1's stringent rules, any deviation from the technical regulations, especially those concerning minimum car weight, can lead to severe penalties, including disqualification. Russell's fate now lies in the hands of the Stewards' panel, which will assess the findings and determine the appropriate response according to the governing regulations.

Russell had secured his second victory of the 2024 season with his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing the race in second position.