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George Russell’s Mercedes was disqualified from the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix because, after the FIA removed 2.8 litres of fuel for its post-race weighing procedure, the car measured 796.5 kg—1.5 kg below the 798 kg minimum. Mercedes and Russell later cited several likely contributors, particularly greater-than-expected tyre and plank wear and Russell losing more weight during the race than expected. The sources do not establish how much each factor contributed.
What happened in the FIA weigh-in
The FIA did not initially record Russell’s car at 796.5 kg. Technical Delegate Jo Bauer’s report records car 63 at 798.0 kg after the race. The FIA then removed 2.8 litres of fuel and weighed the car again; it registered 796.5 kg on both the FIA’s inside and outside scales. The resulting reading was 1.5 kg below the applicable minimum.
The report says the scales’ calibration was confirmed and witnessed by Mercedes. It also notes that the car was not fully drained according to the draining procedure Mercedes had submitted in its legality documents. Bauer referred the matter to the stewards because the 796.5 kg reading was below the minimum. The report records the inspection readings; it does not reconstruct how much mass the car lost from individual components during the race.
Why removing fuel exposed the shortfall
The 798.0 kg reading included fuel remaining in the car. Removing fuel before the second weighing reduced the measured mass, revealing that the car was under the minimum in the post-removal measurement. The key result was not the initial 798.0 kg reading, but the 796.5 kg reading after 2.8 litres had been removed.
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The 2024 FIA Sporting Regulations provide for disqualification if a car is below the Technical Regulations’ weight requirement when weighed under the specified procedures, except where the shortfall results from accidental loss of a car component. The FIA stewards found that Russell’s car breached Article 4.1 of the Technical Regulations and disqualified it.
What may have caused the car to lose weight
Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin said the team was still investigating and gathering weights for different components. He identified tyre wear, plank wear, brake wear, oil consumption and driver weight loss as possible ways for a car to lose mass over a race. He said Mercedes believed Russell’s car had lost more plank material and had much higher tyre wear. Shovlin also said the two Mercedes cars had started at similar weight after qualifying.
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At the Dutch Grand Prix later that summer, Russell said he had lost more weight than expected, while the tyres and plank had also worn more than expected. He described several factors coming together. These accounts support a combined-contributors explanation, not a verified allocation of the 1.5 kg among the driver, tyres, plank or other sources.
Shovlin estimated that any pace advantage from losing one or two kilograms more quickly would be very small—on the order of hundredths of a second per lap. That was his estimate, not an FIA finding about Russell’s car.
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- Die-Cast Metal Construction – Durable metal body with detailed plastic components
- Highly Detailed Design – Realistic exterior styling and interior details
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Why the disqualification changed the result
Russell crossed the finish line first, but the post-race ruling removed car 63 from the classification. The FIA’s official report said Lewis Hamilton inherited the victory. The outcome was therefore Hamilton winning the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix and Russell being disqualified after the race.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the minimum weight changed for 2025
In a July 2024 Formula 1 Commission statement, the FIA announced that the minimum driver weight would rise from 80 kg to 82 kg and the minimum car weight without fuel would rise from 798 kg to 800 kg for 2025. The statement said the changes remained subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council; it does not establish that the increase was a direct response to Russell’s disqualification.
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Sources
- FIA Technical Delegate’s report
- FIA stewards’ decision on car 63
- 2024 FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations
- Mercedes’ account from Andrew Shovlin
- Formula 1’s report on Russell’s explanation
- FIA Formula 1 Commission statement
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