According to Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, Mercedes made an error in their calculations that led to George Russell’s disqualification from the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix. Russell had implemented a clever one-stop strategy that allowed him to cross the start/finish line at Spa-Francorchamps just ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton. However, post-race scrutineering revealed that Russell’s car was 1.5kg underweight, resulting in him being stripped of the win and Hamilton being declared the victor. Horner speculated that the underweight issue may have been caused by the surprising one-stop strategy decision made by Mercedes, which caught both Russell and their competitors off guard.
He pointed out that the long stint on a hard compound set of Pirellis would have caused a significant loss of rubber, potentially contributing to the weight discrepancy. Horner expressed sympathy for Russell but also acknowledged the fortunate outcome for his own team, as Red Bull has struggled to secure victories recently while Mercedes has dominated. Russell took to social media to express his disappointment at being disqualified, but also commended his team for their efforts and expressed pride in crossing the finish line first.
Charles Leclerc, who benefited from Russell’s disqualification to secure a podium position, praised Mercedes for their performance and sympathized with Russell, recognizing the team’s strength and acknowledging that the disqualification was unfortunate but understandable.
