Source – The Independent
Toto Wolff has offered his reaction to George Russell’s disqualification from the Belgian Grand Prix, saying Mercedes “can only apologise” to their driver.
In a thrilling race at Spa-Francorchamps, George Russell appeared to have pulled off an unlikely triumph with an impressive one-stop strategy that saw him climb from sixth on the grid to take the checkered flag. However, the joy was short-lived as post-race inspections revealed that Russell’s car was underweight, leading to his disqualification and promoting his teammate Lewis Hamilton to the top spot.
Russell’s strategy, which involved nursing his hard tires to the finish line, paid off initially as he managed to fend off challenges and secure what seemed to be a remarkable victory. Yet, the post-race Technical Delegate’s Report revealed a critical issue: the car was not fully drained of fuel according to the team’s submitted draining procedure. When re-weighed, the car came in at 796.5kg, 1.5kg below the minimum weight requirement.
The stewards’ report confirmed the infraction, stating that despite the adherence to all other procedures, the underweight car breached Article 4.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations. Consequently, Russell was excluded from the results, and Hamilton was declared the winner. Oscar Piastri moved up to second place, and Charles Leclerc took third.
In the wake of the disqualification, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff took to social media to address the situation. “We have to take our disqualification on the chin,” Wolff admitted. “We have clearly made a mistake and need to ensure we learn from it. We will go away, evaluate what happened, and understand what went wrong. To lose a one-two is frustrating, and we can only apologize to George, who drove such a strong race.”
Despite the setback, Wolff expressed his satisfaction with Mercedes’ recent progress. “Lewis is of course promoted to P1; he was the fastest guy on the two-stop and is a deserving winner,” he continued. “Despite the disqualification, there are many positives we can take from this weekend. We had a car that was the benchmark in today’s race across two different strategies. Only a few months ago, that would have been inconceivable.”
As Formula 1 heads into its summer break, Mercedes can reflect on a successful stretch, having won three of the past four races. Wolff emphasized the importance of maintaining their momentum. “We head into the summer break having won three of the past four races. We will look to come back after shutdown rejuvenated and with the aim of maintaining our positive trajectory.”
The Belgian Grand Prix reshaped the championship standings. Mercedes sits fourth in the constructors’ standings after 14 of 24 scheduled rounds in 2024, trailing behind Ferrari, McLaren, and championship leaders Red Bull. In the drivers’ standings, Hamilton, now the Spa winner, holds sixth position, while the excluded Russell is two spots back in eighth.
For Russell, the disqualification is a tough pill to swallow, but it also serves as a reminder of the sport’s stringent regulations and the fine margins that separate victory from defeat. As Mercedes regroups, the team will undoubtedly aim to ensure that such errors do not recur, focusing on their goal of continuing their upward trajectory in the second half of the season.
The Belgian Grand Prix will be remembered not just for the on-track action but also for the dramatic post-race developments that underscored the relentless pursuit of perfection in Formula 1. As the teams and drivers take a brief respite, the stage is set for an intense battle in the remaining rounds of the 2024 season.
