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
Mekies on why Red Bull are ‘convinced’ by Hadjar's potential
Why Newey's first Aston Martin design has caused a stir
Cadillac reveal their debut livery for 2026 F1 season
Re-watch McLaren's launch as they unveil their 2026 livery
Check out every angle of Aston Martin’s 2026 livery
McLaren unveil new livery for 2026 season
