Belgian Grand Prix 2024 - Race Schedule and Countdown

Lewis Hamilton was awarded victory at the Belgian Grand Prix after teammate George Russell was disqualified for running an underweight car, handing Mercedes a bittersweet result at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Russell had crossed the line first after executing a brilliant one-stop strategy, but the post-race technical inspection revealed his car was 1.5 kg below the minimum weight limit.

Russell started fifth and gambled on extending his stint on hard tires, managing to hold off Hamilton and Oscar Piastri in a thrilling finale. The Briton appeared to have secured his third win of the season, but when his W15 was weighed after the race, it came in at 796.5 kg - below the 798 kg minimum. The disqualification promoted all drivers behind him one position. Max Verstappen, who started from 11th on the grid due to a 10-place power unit penalty despite taking pole position, drove brilliantly through the field but could only manage fourth in the revised classification. Sergio Perez set the fastest lap.

Hamilton's inherited victory was his 105th career win and second consecutive triumph, though the circumstances were far from ideal for Mercedes. Piastri moved up to second for McLaren, while Charles Leclerc completed the revised podium in third for Ferrari. The disqualification shocked the paddock and raised questions about Mercedes' weight-saving measures in their pursuit of performance.