By Razeen Gutta
Lewis Hamilton claimed the victory after his Mercedes teammate George Russell was disqualified from the race in which his underweight vehicle finished first.
Russell crossed the chequered flag before anyone else, delivering a stellar performance from sixth on the grid.
A technical report after the race found that the car and driver minimum weight limit was not met, resulting in the 26-year-old’s disqualification.
The Mercedes was found to be 1.5 kilograms below the minimum weight limit, the stewards said.
“Car 63 is disqualified from the race classification. All other drivers move up in the classification,” they announced in a statement.
Russell held off eventual winner Hamilton as well as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who ended up picking up podium places.
Series leader Max Verstappen took fourth spot while Lando Norris got fifth.
Russell, devastated to have have lost out, said he was confident there would be more good races in store for him this season.
“Heartbreaking. We came in 1.5 kilograms underweight and have been disqualified from the race. We left it all on the track today and I take pride in crossing the line first. There will be more to come,” he said on social media.
Pictured above: George Russell
Source: @f1
