George Russell has been disqualified from the classification of the Belgian Grand Prix after his Mercedes was found to be below the minimum weight limit following the race. This means that the victory has been awarded to his teammate, Lewis Hamilton.

A technical report published after the race on Sunday revealed that Russell’s car, number 63, was 1.5 kg under the required minimum combined weight for the car and driver. “The car is excluded from the race classification,” the judges stated in a release. “All other drivers move up in the classification,” they added.

The 26-year-old British driver started from sixth place but managed to overtake Hamilton, who finished in second, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who secured third place. Russell completed the 44 laps with only one pit stop, which meant that he drove 34 laps on his second set of tires. This strategic decision granted him the lead and an unexpected chance for his third career victory.

“Sad,” Russell wrote on social media. “We were 1.5 kg under the weight limit and have been disqualified from the race. We gave everything we had on track today, and I am proud to cross the finish line first. There will be more,” he added.

Russell’s car was originally weighed at 798 kg, which is precisely at the minimum weight limit for the car and driver combined. However, the judges found that the car had not been completely drained of fuel. “The car was weighed again on the FIA’s indoor and outdoor scales, and the weight was 796.5 kg,” the statement explained. “The calibration of the indoor and outdoor scales was confirmed and monitored by the competition.”

As a result of the disqualification, Hamilton now claims the victory, marking his 105th career win and his second victory of the season. Piastri takes second place, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc moves up to the podium in third.