Mercedes think one-stop strategy was “contributing factor” to George Russell’s DSQ

Mercedes have launched an investigation into the reasons that led to George Russell’s disqualification at the F1 Belgian Grand Prix.

Russell was excluded from the race results at Spa-Francorchamps after his Mercedes F1 car was found to be underweight.

His car was underweight by just 1.5kg, but as per F1’s technical regulations, this results in a disqualification.

Russell had driven a sensational race, opting for a one-stop strategy to gain track position over his teammate.

Russell fended off Hamilton in the closing laps to take the win and Mercedes’ first 1-2 since 2022.

It was short-lived as Russell was DQ’d, handing the win to Hamilton.

Mercedes trackside engineering chief Andrew Shovlin feels that Russell’s one-stop strategy was a “contributing factor” to him being under the weight limit.

“It's really tough for George to have been disqualified from the win after such an impressive drive,” he said. “He did a brilliant job to hang onto the tyres and defend to the finish.

“We don't yet understand why the car was underweight following the race but will investigate thoroughly to find the explanation. We expect that the loss of rubber from the one stop was a contributing factor, and we'll work to understand how it happened.

“We won't be making any excuses though. It is clearly not good enough and we need to make sure it doesn't happen again.”

Shovlin heaped praise on Hamilton for driving a “strong race” and that Mercedes should be proud of their “good recovery” from a difficult Friday.

“It was a relief to have Lewis in second to inherit the victory,” he added. “He also drove a strong race and was the fastest two-stopping car out there today.

“We can be pleased with the car pace but overall, it's disappointing not to walk away with the 1-2. That is particularly true after such a good recovery from one of our most difficult Fridays, and following a race that was so well managed by the team.

“We'll learn from this and be back strong in Zandvoort after the summer break.”