Christian Horner believes that George Russell’s disqualification was Mercedes’ own fault. According to the Red Bull team boss, the rival team should have made better calculations. Horner is of the opinion that Russell lost the race due to the daring one-stop strategy.
The joy was short-lived for George Russell after the Belgian Grand Prix. The Brit crossed the finish line first after a daring one-stop, but was disqualified after the race. The Mercedes driver’s car was one and a half kilos too light at the weigh-in. As a result, Lewis Hamilton became the new winner of the Belgian race.
Red Bull also benefited from Russell’s disqualification. Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez were able to move up a spot in the results. Team boss Horner knows where Mercedes dropped the ball on Sunday. According to the Red Bull team boss, the low weight of the W15 was due to the one-stop strategy. “I’m sure they lost more than a kilo of rubber,” Horner calculated, in conversation with Sky Sports F1. “We saw that on Friday already.”
Horner Believes Mercedes Made a Miscalculation
Horner believes that Mercedes made an incorrect calculation. “You need to take enough fuel for the post-race sample, otherwise you’re using fuel as ballast,” he says. Despite this, the British team boss also expresses regret for Russell. “It’s really sad news for George, but clearly a mistake in their calculations.”
Leclerc Sympathizes with Russell
Charles Leclerc agrees with Horner’s assessment. The Monegasque driver ended up on the podium due to Russell’s disqualification. “It’s a shame, because Russell and Mercedes performed brilliantly. Of course, in these situations, it’s hard to make an exception and it’s understandable that they were disqualified.” However, Leclerc believes that Russell would have won even without the underweight car. “It’s not about the weight difference. They won because they were the stronger team today,” says the Ferrari driver.
