Deja Vu at the Belgian Grand Prix: Damon Hill Reflects on Eerie Similarities Between Russell’s Disqualification and Schumacher’s Past Fate

Uncanny similarity recalls the incident of Michael Schumacher's disqualification

"That's not the desired outcome"

Damon Hill found himself at the airport, three decades since learning about Michael Schumacher being disqualified, when history repeated itself unexpectedly.

George Russell was disqualified from the F1 Belgian Grand Prix as his vehicle did not meet the minimum weight requirement, resulting in Lewis Hamilton being declared the winner.

In 1994, Hill gained an advantage after Schumacher, the renowned German driver, was disqualified hours after initially finishing in the lead.

"Hill shared with F1 Nation that he believed he had finished in second place, feeling downcast as he made his way to the Brussels airport. There, he sat, seething with frustration and visibly annoyed."

When I arrived at the airport lounge, the Williams press officer approached me, beaming, and exclaimed, 'congratulations!'

"She exclaimed, 'You've triumphed in the competition!'"

"I responded, 'My apologies, could you clarify?'"

They discovered that the plank belonging to Michael was overly slender. It was evidently depleted. The actual cause remains unclear to me.

His disqualification resulted in my victory.

"I found myself at Brussels airport once more when I learned about Russell's disqualification, in the exact spot I was when I discovered my own disqualification."

Throughout 1994, a fierce rivalry unfolded between Benetton's Schumacher and Hill from Williams, spanning the entire season.

Schumacher ultimately clinched the championship over Hill by a mere point.

This season, Hamilton secured his second Formula 1 victory in Belgium, capitalizing on his teammate's unfortunate circumstances.

"Hill stated that this was not the desired outcome."

"You desire it to be neat and unequivocal."

"However, the reality remains that vehicles must adhere to the rules or face disqualification. There's no room for a 10-second penalty, nor is there a way to assess the significance of the non-compliance. It boils down to a clear-cut issue of measurement – an object is either one metre in length, or it isn't. It cannot simply be 'approximately' one metre."

"He must adhere strictly to the regulations. He now joins the unfortunate group of drivers who have been ruled out from claiming victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, a list that also includes Schumacher."

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