Source: REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
[Saba Sports News] In the Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix last weekend, Mercedes driver George Russell achieved victory with a radical one-stop strategy, crossing the finish line ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton. However, approximately an hour after the race ended, the FIA discovered that Russell’s car, including the driver’s weight, weighed only 796.5 kilograms, significantly below the regulation minimum weight of 798 kilograms. Therefore, Russell’s result was disqualified for violating the minimum car weight rule, leaving him disappointed in missing out on the Belgian Grand Prix victory. Upon returning to the factory, the Mercedes team thoroughly inspected the car, trying to identify the cause of the issue. Initially, the team focused on investigating tire wear because Russell’s one-stop strategy and prolonged high-speed driving on the track could result in more rubber detaching from the tires, thus reducing the weight of the tires. It is reported that compared to the original two-stop strategy, a one-stop strategy would cause each tire to lose approximately 375 grams of weight. However, in the post-race report, Andrew Shovlin, the Head of Trackside Engineering at Mercedes, pointed out that there were other factors contributing to Russell’s disqualification, including the wear of the underfloor skid block and Russell’s own weight loss. Although the thickness of the skid block remained within the permissible range of 1 millimeter, it had worn away a significant amount of wood and composite material after multiple passes through sections like Eau Rouge-Raidillon. With multiple factors at play, Russell’s car ended up being below the minimum weight requirement.