THE STRATEGIST: How do the teams make sure their cars are the correct weight – and what went wrong for Russell?

The teams went into Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix expecting it to be a two-stop race, but George Russell defied those predictions by pitting only once, before holding off his Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton to take the flag first.
But Russell went from joy to despair after the race when his car was found to be 1.5kgs underweight, and he was subsequently disqualified. So how do the teams go about working out the expected weight of the car post-race? And what is likely to have gone wrong for Russell? Former Aston Martin Head of Strategy Bernie Collins explains all…
Next Up
Related Articles
TremayneWhy ‘true racer’ Marko will be missed as he leaves Red Bull
Formula 1 to return to Portugal in 2027 and 2028
Norris collects World Championship trophy at FIA Awards
Piastri ‘should be proud’ of his season says Brown
Verstappen pays tribute to Lambiase after ‘emotional year’
F1, the FIA and 11 teams sign 2026 Concorde Agreement
