Russell's Spa Triumph Lost Due to Weight Shortfall

George Russell foresaw a weight issue before the Belgian GP, leading to his disqualification after crossing the finish line first at Spa.

George Russell admitted he knew he would be underweight before the end of the Belgian Grand Prix, from which he was ultimately disqualified.

The British driver initially took victory at Spa-Francorchamps, but was later stripped of this win after he and his car were found to be 1.5 kg below the required weight limit post-race.

Mercedes had earlier confirmed that several factors had contributed to Russell not meeting the 798 kg limit, including greater than usual weight loss during the Grand Prix. Additionally, more worn tyres and a wooden plank also contributed to the loss of the win.

The 26-year-old driver confirmed at Zandvoort that he was lighter than usual before the race started, which compounded the issue.

However, he also pointed out that the Brackley-based team had not been thorough enough in reviewing all possible scenarios—a mistake he believes will be less of an issue moving forward.

“I knew before the race that I was a bit light, but it was too late to make a substantial change unless I ate a very large steak and chips or something, which probably isn’t the best pre-race routine. It wouldn’t have been enough anyway.”

“The processes weren’t quite in place to cover all the different scenarios… there are things that, in hindsight, we can improve, and we will in the future.”

“And, as always, you have to make a mistake first to recognize that there’s a problem.”

“Clearly, we didn’t do a good enough job, but it was just a number of factors that came together and kind of exceeded our expectations in terms of weight loss, including myself.”

“And I ended up losing a bit more weight than expected during the race. The tyres shed significantly more weight than anticipated. The plank also wore down more than we had foreseen.”

“It’s really just three or four factors that came together and pushed us to the limit.”

Russell is adamant that Mercedes doesn’t need to suddenly become more conservative in its approach to racing in the future.

“I’ve been urging the team for a long time to constantly push the boundaries. If you always play it safe, you’ll never be disqualified, you’ll never make a driving error, you’ll never spin out. But you’ll also never discover what the true potential is.”

Despite the loss of what could have been his third career victory, Russell maintains that he will always value his performance in the race, alongside his two previous F1 wins.

“In this race, I lost 25 points, but in my mind, it’s still a victory. I’ve kept my helmet, and it will be in my office with those from my other two wins. The celebrations I had with the team at that moment, just afterwards, were among the best feelings of my career. So, I’ll only take positives from what happened.”

Another topic that resurfaced at Zandvoort for Russell was the matter of his future teammate. There’s talk that Toto Wolff has internally ruled out the Verstappen option for 2025, and that Kimi Antonelli will be confirmed for next year.

“Kimi Raikkonen? Kimi Antonelli, that’s the F2 driver, isn’t it?” Russell joked.

On a more serious note, he praised the Italian.

“Naturally, I can’t divulge anything at this stage. Whoever my teammate is next year, I will undoubtedly welcome them with enthusiasm and relish the challenge we’ll face together. Kimi is an exceptional driver with an outstanding track record in the junior categories. He is clearly destined for a career in Formula 1.”

“And if it were to be him—mind you, I say ‘if’—I believe it would also underscore the strength of Mercedes’ junior programme. It reminds me somewhat of my own journey, starting as a young lad in Formula 3 and climbing the ranks. It would be a great story for the team. But who knows?”

The Mercedes driver admits to keeping a close watch on him.

“I see him every time he races in F2. We always keep an eye on his progress, watching all the races. We did a test together at Silverstone a few weeks ago, which was a fantastic opportunity for him to get behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car and measure up.”

“He was exceptionally quick during the test, so I have no doubt that if he were to secure a seat in Formula 1, he would do an excellent job.”