Lewis Hamilton wins Belgian Grand Prix after George Russell DQ

George Russell stripped of Belgian Grand Prix win due to underweight car, Lewis Hamilton declared winner.

George Russell was stripped of his win in the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday after race officials discovered the Mercedes entry was underweight.

Runner up Lewis Hamilton, his teammate, was named the winner.

The race outcome was referred to stewards for review after it was found that Russell’s No. 63 weighed 798.0 kilograms, which is the minimum weight required. Officials went on to drain the fuel tank, and after doing so, the car weighed 796.5 kilograms - or 3.3 pounds - short of the requirement.

At a stewards’ hearing, Russell’s reps “acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team,” according to a Formula One document.

Stewards subsequently overturned the race result.

“It is what it is, the mistake has happened,” Mercedes principal Toto Wolff said before the stewards’ decision was rendered.

He added: “We have to learn from that. As a team there are more positives to take. Obviously for George, it’s a massive blow.”