George Russell disqualified after weight violation, Lewis Hamilton inherits Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix win

A stunning turn of events unfolded after the Belgian Grand Prix as George Russell, who initially crossed the finish line first, was disqualified due to a weight infringement. His Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton, has been promoted to first place, claiming his fifth victory at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Post-race inspections revealed that Russell's car was 1.5 kilograms under the minimum weight limit. While the car had initially passed scrutineering, a subsequent report from the technical delegate revealed that the fuel tank had not been fully drained during the initial weighing process.

A re-weighing confirmed the violation, leading to Russell's disqualification.

"During the hearing the team representatives confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly," the FIA stated in a release. "The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team."

This decision shook up the final race results, with all other drivers moving up one position. McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who originally finished third, now takes second place, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is promoted to third.

“We have to take our disqualification on the chin. We have clearly made a mistake and need to ensure we learn from it," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "We will go away, evaluate what happened and understand what went wrong. To lose a one-two is frustrating and we can only apologise to George who drove such a strong race. Lewis is of course promoted to P1, he was the fastest guy on the two-stop and is a deserving winner.”

The inherited win ties Hamilton with Ayrton Senna for the second-most Belgian Grand Prix victories, one behind Michael Schumacher's record of six wins at Spa.

For Russell, the disqualification is a heartbreaking blow. "Heartbreaking... we came in 1.5kg underweight and have been disqualified from the race," Russell expressed on Instagram. "We left it all on the track today and I take pride in crossing the line first. There will be more to come."

Hamilton, now the only driver besides championship leader Max Verstappen to have multiple wins this season, extends his strong recent form. Verstappen, who finished fourth after starting 11th due to a grid penalty, still maintains a comfortable 78-point lead in the driver's championship.

Piastri's second-place finish propels McLaren closer to Red Bull in the constructors' championship, with the gap now narrowed to 42 points.