Sports Desk, July 29 (EFE).- British driver George Russell was stripped of his victory in the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix after his Mercedes car was found to be underweight following the race on Sunday.
His disqualification meant his teammate and compatriot Lewis Hamilton was promoted to first place.
Russell had won the race after a one-stop strategy, in which he made his set of hard tires last until he reached the chequered flag, holding off Hamilton by half a second.
However, a report from the technical delegate published after the race stated that, although it had initially been verified that the car complied with the minimum weight of 798 kilograms, 2.8 liters of fuel were later removed.
The report said that “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.”
Before his disqualification, it was going to be Russell’s third career victory and the second of the season, after the one in Austria.
Russell’s disqualification and Hamilton’s promotion as the winner meant that other drivers also gained a place.
Australian Oscar Piastri of McLaren was awarded second place, while Monegasque Charles Leclerc finished third with his Ferrari.
Red Bull’s reigning world champion and championship leader, Max Verstappen, who set the fastest qualifying time but started down in 11th due to a penalty and finished fifth, went on to take fourth place. EFE
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