What looked to be a perfect day for Mercedes has been turned on its head by a shocking post-race development.
George Russell stormed to a third career victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton completing a one-two finish, marking the Silver Arrows' first one-two since Sao Paulo in 2022.
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However, shocking news awaited the young Briton when it was revealed that his W15 car was 1.5kg under 798kg minimum weight during post-race checks.
This meant a disqualification for Russell, who had delivered a stunning performance after employing a daring one-stop strategy in a race characterised by punishing tyre degradation.
Now Hamilton has been promoted to a second win of the season and a record-extending 105th career victory, while Oscar Piastri inherited second place and Charles Leclerc, who started from first place, claimed the final podium spot.
The Monegasque's finishing position extended a troubling trend for the pole-sitters, with this being the seventh straight race this year where the pole-sitter has failed to convert their advantage into a victory.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, who fought his way to fifth from 11th on the grid due to his 10-place grid penalty, now finds himself promoted to fourth ahead of Lando Norris.
2024 Belgian Grand Prix - Final classification
1. Lewis Hamilton [Mercedes]: 1:19:57.566s
2. Oscar Piastri [McLaren]: +0.647s
3. Charles Leclerc [Ferrari]: +8.023s
4. Max Verstappen [Red Bull]: +8.700s
5. Lando Norris [McLaren]: +9.324s
6. Carlos Sainz [Ferrari]: +19.269s
7. Sergio Perez [Red Bull]: +42.669s
8. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin]: +49.437s
9. Esteban Ocon [Alpine]: +52.026s
10. Daniel Ricciardo [VCARB]: +54.400s
11. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin]: +62.485s
12. Alex Albon [Williams]: +63.125s
13. Pierre Gasly [Alpine]: +63.839s
14. Kevin Magnussen [Haas]: +66.105s
15. Valtteri Bottas [Kick Sauber]: +70.112s
16. Yuki Tsunoda [VCARB]: +76.211s
17. Logan Sargeant [Williams]: +85.531s
18. Nico Hulkenberg [Haas]: +88.307s
NC. Zhou Guanyu [Kick Sauber] DNF
DQ: George Russell [Mercedes]
Fastest Lap: Sergio Perez [Red Bull] - 1:44.701sec on lap 44
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