George Russell is STRIPPED of his stunning Belgian GP win after being disqualified for his Mercedes being 1.5kg underweight - as team-mate Lewis Hamilton takes victory

George Russell knew what was coming his way as he slipped out of the paddock gates at Spa on Sunday night.

It wasn’t until he was heading home on the long and winding roads through the depths of the Ardennes that his worst fears were confirmed.

The third Grand Prix win of his career – one built on the back of a remarkable, bold strategy call – had been chalked off. Russell was disqualified. The race win inherited by team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

As Russell was toasting the genius call to remain on a one-stop strategy, the sport’s governing body were busy conducting their usual post-race tests. It was there an anomaly was detected.

It took two-and-a-half hours for the stewards to confirm their judgement. But as he awaited the verdict, the conciliatory look on team boss Toto Wolff’s face gave you an inclination of the outcome to follow.

Brit George Russell looked to have added to his win earlier this season at the Austrian GP 

George Russell started sixth on the grid and held off a late charge from his teammate Lewis Hamilton to secure what he thought would be his second winner's trophy of the 2024 season

But stewards found this his winning Mercedes was 1.5 kilograms below the required weight

Russell's Mercedes team-mate and compatriot Lewis Hamilton instead took the Belgian GP win

Guilty was the verdict. Russell’s car, the one which looked to have propelled him to his second win of the season, was 1.5kilos underweight and breached regulations.

‘We have to take it on the chin. A mistake has happened and a one-two would have been a great result going into the summer break,’ said Wolff, who labelled Russell the ‘tyre whisperer’ in the aftermath of his strategic masterstroke.

‘We have to learn from that. As a team there were positives but for George it is a massive blow for it to be taken away.’

Taking to social media, Russell, 26, said: ‘Heartbreaking. We left it all on the track today and I take pride in crossing the line first. There will be more to come.’

Even an outlook as positive as that will struggle to console Russell after this cruel blow.

They say fortune favours the bold and it looked like the bravest of calls had delivered the very sweetest of rewards for Russell, who started the day down in sixth.

With 12 laps to go and the Merc man in his groove, his team popped the question. Having stopped at the end of lap 10, would Russell go off-piste by not pitting again? Russell resisted the temptation to follow the rest of the field and stuck by his guns.

On fresher tyres, Russell’s team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, looked destined to be the beneficiary of that call. With the laps ticking down, Russell was a sitting duck on his battered rubbers. Or so we thought.

Max Verstappen finished up in fifth (now fourth) after starting in 11th due to a grid penalty

McLaren's Lando Norris could only manage sixth across the line (now fifth) as he was beaten by his team-mate Piastri for the second weekend in a row and lost more ground to Verstappen

Hamilton's advances were too little, too late as Russell clung on to cross the line first.

‘After all the data we had on Friday, which suggested a one-stop was not even close to being viable, you questioned yourself thinking “Are we missing something here, why isn’t anyone else doing this?”,’ said Russell, prior to learning his fate.

‘It just goes to show we have so many sensors and data points on these F1 cars but there’s only 20 of us drivers and sometimes you feel it.

‘You can feel how the tyres are sliding over the track and you’ve just got to trust your gut.’

Mercedes were unable to diagnose the exact cause of the abnormal weight loss on Sunday night.

The only thing that will help to soothe the pain is that the win was handed down to Hamilton, who drove a brilliant race to fend off the chasing pack.

That group included Lando Norris, who finished fifth on a day it was imperative for him to capitalise on the 10-place grid penalty handed to title rival Max Verstappen.

Worse still, Norris ended one spot behind the Dutchman, whose rescue act ensured he extended his advantage at the top of the standings to 78 points. 

Toto Wolff described Russell as the 'tyre whisperer' after he crossed the line but will now wonder what might have been for his Mercedes team after Russell's disqualification in Belgium

Lewis Hamilton finished little more than half a second behind Russell and will now take the win

Norris never recovered his race after running wide and dropping two places at the first corner.

‘I misjudged it honestly. I didn’t want to get taken out on turn one, so I left a gap and I just misjudged the exit,’ said Norris, who locked up in the final chicane later in the race to end his hopes of overtaking Verstappen.

The Brit, 24, looks like a man carrying the weight of the world at the moment. Certainly far from his usual, chirpy self. One suspects the four-week break until the next race in the Netherlands will do him the world of good.

‘We all need it (the break). I just think I need it to reset, I’m giving away a lot of points over the last three or four races because of stupid stuff.

‘There isn’t one reason, just trying a bit too hard and maybe paying the price for that.’