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By Lydia Mee
Sports Contributing Writer
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George Russell has come under scrutiny following a post-race investigation into his vehicle's weight. The FIA Formula One Technical Delegate, Jo Bauer, has referred the Mercedes driver to the Stewards for potential disqualification from the Belgian Grand Prix after his car failed to meet the mandated minimum weight requirement.
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.
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"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."
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The implications of this referral are severe. Russell could face disqualification from the Belgian Grand Prix after celebrating his second victory of the season. The meeting between the Mercedes representatives and the FIA is currently ongoing and a decision is expected imminently.
Speaking to the media after his victory, Russell commented, as quoted by GP Blog:
"It's an amazing result. We didn't predict this in our strategy meeting. The car was feeling awesome. We made lots of changes. The tyres felt great," said Russell.
"I kept saying we could do the one-stop. The strategy team did a great job. Well done to Lewis because he controlled the race; if circumstances were different, I'm sure he'd have won. One-two is an awesome result for the team. It was a team effort. All the strategy guys did a great job. We rolled the dice but it was only possible because the car was feeling great," he explained.
As it currently stands, these are the results of the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix:
2024 Belgian Grand Prix Results
1. George Russell, Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
3. Oscar Piastri, McLaren
4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
6. Lando Norris, McLaren
7. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
8. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
9. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin
10. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
11. Daniel Ricciardo, VCARB
12. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
13. Alex Albon, Williams
14. Pierre Gasly, Alpine
15. Kevin Magnussen, Haas
16. Valtteri Bottas, Sauber
17. Yuki Tsunoda, VCARB
18. Logan Sargeant, Williams
19. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas
20. Zhou Guanyu, Sauber - DNF
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