George Russell’s Belgian GP: A Victory in Spirit Despite Disqualification Woes

George Russell considers the Belgian Grand Prix as a personal victory despite the crushing disappointment of his disqualification.

George Russell has explained several reasons behind his devastating disqualification after the F1 Belgian Grand Prix.

In the previous race at Spa-Francorchamps, Russell, who opted for a one-stop strategy, successfully held off a late challenge from his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, securing a 1-2 finish for the team. However, Russell was later disqualified from the win when it was discovered that his car weighed 1.5kg less than the minimum requirement.

Before the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, Russell mentioned that multiple reasons contributed to the exclusion.

When questioned about his confidence in the team's understanding of the incident, Russell replied: “Yes, definitely. It’s clear that we didn’t perform well enough.”

“I ended up shedding more weight during the race than anticipated, the tires degraded more than we had predicted, and the plank wore down more than we had estimated.”

"It was essentially a combination of three or four elements that ultimately drove us to our breaking point."

The 26-year-old British individual also admitted that he was aware his personal weight loss had affected him.

He explained that increasing the margin wasn't necessary; instead, the issue lay in the processes, which weren't adequately designed to handle every possible scenario.

"Before the race, I realized I was slightly underweight, but it was already too late to make any significant adjustments without eating something heavy like a steak, which isn't exactly ideal right before a race!"

"However, looking back, we realize there are ways we can improve, and we are committed to making those improvements in the future. Typically, it's only after making a mistake that you become aware of an issue."

Even though he was disqualified, Russell still views the Belgian Grand Prix as "a victory".

"Naturally, it's quite aggravating that the only instance in three years where we were slightly below the weight limit happened to be the race we won. However, there's no resentment on our part," he remarked. "We're united in this, and it will fortify us for the future."

"Even though I lost 25 points, I still consider it a victory. I’ve held onto my helmet, and it will be placed on my bedside table alongside my other two wins."

"The moments of celebration with my team right after the race were some of the most memorable of my career, so I'll focus on the positives from that experience."

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