Lewis Hamilton secured a surprise victory at the Belgian Grand Prix following George Russell’s post-race disqualification. Initially triumphant on a one-stop strategy, Russell was found to have an underweight car in post-race checks.
Hamilton, starting from third, made a lightning start, quickly overtaking Piastri’s McLaren into Les Combes. He then set his sights on Russell, who had opted for a bold strategy gamble, but was unable to pass his teammate on the track.
The Mercedes duo dominated the race, leaving their rivals trailing. However, the win was handed to Hamilton after the FIA’s technical delegate deemed Russell’s car to be 1.5kg under the minimum weight limit for car and driver combined.
The technical report revealed that the weight discrepancy was due to a miscalculation of ballast during a pit stop. Ballast, typically made of tungsten or similar dense materials, is added or removed from the car to ensure it meets the minimum weight requirement. This allows teams to fine-tune the car’s balance and handling characteristics. The ballast usually consists of small metal plates securely bolted within the cockpit area, under the driver’s seat or in specific compartments beneath the fuel tank. In Russell’s case, an error in calculating the necessary ballast adjustment led to the car being underweight.
Although Russell and Mercedes protested the decision, the stewards upheld the disqualification, stating that the rules are clear and must be adhered to. The victory marks Hamilton’s 105th career win, extending his remarkable record in the sport. This unexpected turn of events adds another chapter to the dramatic 2024 season.
Hello Lewis,
Firstly, I’m sending you big love from India. LIKE HUGE! We love you!
I’m 23, and your birthday twin, can’t tell the kind of pride I have telling everyone yeah well I share my birthday with the greatest there is, beat that! I am architect and I recently got a job, like usual they asked me to tell everyone something about myself and proudly once again, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, “I SHARE MY BIRTHDAY WITH LEWIS HAMILTON!!” I think the only reason I love F1 is because you inspire such a great deal in me, forget being a formula one driver, I love Lewis the person a lot more than I can tell anyone. I got a ‘still I rise’ tattooed on my arm recently just so it can remind me to never give up, keep pushing and just make myself proud. Along with it there’s a little ‘44’ in red too (because we have that 8th championship incoming) I don’t even know if this is going to reach you but Lewis, my man you’re amazing and someday I will see you in person! Hopefully soon enough. Thankyou for inspiring, I’m sure the world needs more love than anything at the moment. And I will always remember to keep pushing, keep trying because that’s all that matters.
– Your very proud birthday Twin
Hi Lewis! I am a 13 year old boy and I am Vietnamese. My family is a big fan of you. In the next F1 race in the Netherlands, I will have the chance to see you race for the first time in my life. I am very excited and happy. I really want to meet you, take a picture and get your sign. I have 3 younger brothers but they are sick and can not go to the race. They want to have your signature son their Mercedes jerseys. I also want to have your signature in their tickets because they have birthdays next month. I am also very worried because I don’t have a paddock ticket. On the race day, my family has 3 people going to watch: my father, my sister and me. We want to meet you so much, get your signatures and have photos. We hope we can meet you and hope you win the race. We also have a traditional Vietnamese conical hat with a picture of you and your dogs sent to you if it is not damaged during my vacation in Europe. We hope you like it. We happy to meet you. Have a nice day.