George Russell reflects on ‘frustrating’ Belgian GP disqualification: ‘It’s still a win’

The Mercedes driver took the chequered flag in first place at Spa before a cruel twist

George Russell insists he still counts the Belgian Grand Prix as a victory despite his disqualification last month.

The Mercedes driver thought he’d secured his third F1 victory after a brilliant one-stop strategy at Spa-Fracorchamps saw him take the chequered flag in first place, ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

But a post-race check detailed that Russell’s Mercedes car was under-weight and, as per the regulations, the 26-year-old was removed from the post-race classification.

It was a bitter blow for Russell, as he missed out on 25 points and a memorable victory, but speaking a month on ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, the Brit still takes positives from a stunning drive.

“Of course, it’s very frustrating that the one time in three years we’ve been just under the weight limit was the race we won, but there’s zero hard feelings,” he said on Thursday in Zandvoort.

“We’re in this together and it will make us stronger for the future. I lost 25 points but, in my mind, that is still a win. I’ve kept my helmet and it’s going to be going on my bedside table with my other two victories.

“Those celebrations I had with the team in that moment straight after [the race] were some of the best feelings of my career, so I’ll only take positives from what happened.”

George Russell reflected on his disqualification at Spa last month (Getty Images)

Russell then detailed where Mercedes believed they lost too much weight as the course of the race unravelled.

“Clearly, we didn’t do a good enough job,” he added.

“I lost a bit more weight during the race than we thought, the tyres lost a lot more than we expected, the plank was wearing more than we thought as well, so it was sort of these three or four factors all coming together that just pushed us over the edge.”

Russell will be looking to bounce back from that disappointment in the Netherlands this weekend. He is currently eighth in the championship, 34 points off team-mate Hamilton in sixth.