George Russell has been stripped of victory at the Belgian Grand Prix after his Mercedes car was found to be underweight after the chequered flag.
The decision means his teammate Lewis Hamilton has moved up to first place, securing his second win of the season following his triumph at the British Grand Prix earlier this month.
Russell's car was weighed after the race and found to be at the minimum weight of 798kg, but after draining the fuel from the Mercedes it was found to be 1.5kg underweight.
The matter was referred to the stewards, who ruled that Russell's car should be disqualified.
“Car 63 was weighed on the FIA internal and external scales and both gave the same result of 796.5kg,” the stewards said in a statement. “The calibration of both scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor.
“During the hearing, the team representative confirmed that the measurement was correct and that all necessary procedures were carried out correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no extenuating circumstances and that this was a genuine team error.
“The Stewards determine that Article 4.1 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations has been breached and therefore the standard penalty for such an infringement should be applied.
“Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.”
Russell won the race on a one-stop strategy, meaning he used a single set of tyres for 34 laps while the others made one additional stop.
Physical wear on all four tyres can explain the overall weight loss of the car over a long period, although teams often take this into account in their pre-race calculations.
Another factor unique to the Belgian Grand Prix is that the length of the Spa-Francorchamps lap means that drivers do not complete a cool-down lap after the marked 'square' lap and instead turn towards the pit lane exit immediately after turn one.
The absence of a cool-down lap means drivers are unable to pick up discarded rubber on their tyres, which is standard procedure after a race to help replace any lost weight.
“It's heartbreaking,” Russell said in a post on social media after the race. “We came in 1.5kg underweight and were disqualified from the race.”
“We left it all on the track today and I'm proud to have crossed the line in first place. There will be more to come.”
Speaking ahead of the stewards' decision, Wolff said his team would have to accept a disqualification if that happens.
“We have to take responsibility for it,” he said. “If the stewards decide against us, it is what it is, a mistake has happened, or could have happened, and a one-two would have been a great result going into the summer break. It couldn't have gone better.”
“The positive thing, the most positive thing we can take from this race is that we had two cars that were the reference in this race, with two different strategies. Who would have said that a few months ago? It's really good to see that.”
Asked if anything was damaged on Russell's car which could have contributed to his low weight, Wolff added: No, I think it's a one-stop… you expect some rubber loss, maybe more, but it's no excuse.
“If the stewards feel it's a breach of the rules then it is what it is and we have to learn from it and as a team there are more positives to take away from it for George but it's a massive blow for a driver whose childhood dream was to win these races and then to be told that's been taken away from him but he's going to win many more.”
