Mercedes’ George Russell disqualified, stripped of Belgian GP win after car found to be underweight

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Lewis Hamilton was promoted to first place on the Belgian Grand Prix after race officers disqualified his Mercedes teammate George Russell for driving an underweight automobile on Sunday.

Russell crossed the road first after making only one pit cease, ending simply forward of Hamilton. He celebrated the win in Spa, which might have been the third of the British driver’s profession.

However race officers discovered that his automobile weighed in beneath the established limits and dominated to disqualify his consequence.

Hamilton took his file haul to 105 profession victories for the previous seven-time world champion.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows beneath.

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — George Russell led a Mercedes one-two with Lewis Hamilton on the Belgian Grand Prix after pulling off an audacious one-stop technique and maintaining his teammate at bay so as to add to an exhilarating Method 1 season on Sunday.

Russell’s victory, nevertheless, could possibly be unsure after his automobile was discovered to be underweight. The race officers are reviewing the technical report concerning his automobile’s weight, with Mercedes summoned by F1 stewards.

If Russell is disqualified, the win will cross to Hamilton in what could be his one hundred and fifth GP victory in F1.

If Russell is just not disqualified, it will have been his second win of the season and the third of the British driver’s profession after nursing his tires in professional trend over the 44-lap race whereas all the remainder of the highest automobiles stopped twice.

Both manner, it would have little impression on the general driver’s championship, which Verstappan leads comfortably.

“Superb consequence, undoubtedly didn’t predict that this morning,” Russell stated nicely earlier than it was introduced that his automobile was suspected of a attainable violation. “However the race was superior and the tires simply felt nice. I simply stored saying ‘I believe we will do the one cease’.”

Hamilton completed forward proper behind with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in third.

Factors chief Max Verstappen crossed fifth behind pole-sitter Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari after the three-time defending champion began from eleventh following a 10-place grid penalty for utilizing one too many engines in his Crimson Bull.

Lando Norris endured one other poor begin in his McLaren and completed sixth, permitting Verstappen to increase his championship result in 78 factors.

Russell was not anticipated to be within the combine for the win after he began sixth. However he advised his staff that he felt assured that he might milk his tires for all they had been price and forego a second, time-consuming, pit cease.

That proved to be a superb transfer.

Russell appeared like he could be caught by Hamilton and different drivers on more energizing tires. As an alternative, he defended his place over the nail-biting closing laps with Piastri lurking in case the teammates clashed.

His solely cease got here on lap 10, so Russell stayed out for 34 laps on the identical tires and fended off a Hamilton who had spent 18 laps on his final set.

“We undoubtedly didn’t (count on this), so to start with, congratulations to George and to the staff,” Hamilton stated. “I used to be making an attempt to get nearer, however George did a fantastic job on going lengthy on the tires. Each stint I had tires left however the staff introduced me in, sadly.”

After Russell shouted for pleasure after the checkered flag, his staff radio half-jokingly praised him as “the tire whisperer.”

The 26-year-old driver shared any credit score together with his staff for making that technique name.

“It was a staff effort, the strategists did a beautiful job. The automobile felt nice and the tempo was there. It’s so nicely deserved for everyone,” he stated. “Effectively carried out to Lewis, he did a fantastic job controlling the race and if circumstances had been totally different he might have gained the race.”

After struggling early on this season, Mercedes has now gained three of the final 4 races. Russell triumphed in Austria and Hamilton in Britain.

With McLaren, Mercedes, Crimson Bull and Ferrari all producing comparable tempo – and avoiding race-ending crashes — the victory was a query of small margins and getting the pit-stop and tire technique proper.

Piastri was underneath two seconds behind Russell and the highest six all crossed inside 10 seconds.

Piastri, who acquired his first F1 win final weekend in Budapest, stated that he thought his recent tires would make the distinction.

“(However) you simply needed to hold going, as George confirmed us,” Piastri stated after his fourth podium of the season.

The seven winners in 13 races after the Hungarian GP had already made this season essentially the most aggressive since 2012.

Verstappen has now gone 4 races and not using a win after he gained 4 of the primary 5 grands prix this 12 months.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was seventh, forward of Crimson Bull’s Sergio Pérez, who had began second in one other poor displaying for the under-pressure Mexican driver. Fernando Alonso was ninth for Aston Martin, and Esteban Ocon tenth in his Alpine.

The Spa observe, set within the rolling forests of the Ardennes, is the longest in F1 at seven kilometers (4.3 miles). It stayed dry on Sunday in distinction to the fixed drizzle the day earlier than that led to a F2 race being postponed.

With 14 of 24 races down, the season now enters a summer time break till the Dutch GP on Aug. 25.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing