George Russell’s race at the Belgian Grand Prix took a surprising turn. 🌧️
- Russell was disqualified after a thrilling finish. 🏁
- Mercedes found excessive wear on Russell’s car plank. 🔧
- The team is now diving deep into the data. 📊
- Key factors like tire and brake wear are under scrutiny. 🛠️
Mercedes discovered that George Russell’s car “lost more material on the plank” than usual during the Belgian Grand Prix. This finding is key to the team’s investigation into his disqualification.
Russell initially thought he had secured his third F1 victory, narrowly beating teammate Lewis Hamilton. However, after post-race checks, his car was found to be 1.5 kilograms below the minimum weight limit, leading to his exclusion from the official results.
Appearing on Mercedes’ Debrief show, Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin mentioned that they are working hard to understand the exact cause of the issue. He emphasized the importance of weighing individual components during the investigation.
Shovlin pointed out that during a race, cars can lose weight due to several factors including tire wear, plank wear, brake wear, and oil consumption. Notably, George Russell lost a significant amount of weight during the race.
Both cars started the race with similar weights, but only Russell’s car faced the issue. Shovlin noted that Russell’s car experienced higher-than-normal tire wear and plank wear, a problem they are keen to avoid in the future.
Plank wear has been a growing concern since the introduction of F1’s ground-effect regulations in 2022. Teams aim to run the cars as low as possible without causing significant plank wear, which carries a high risk of disqualification.
The iconic Eau Rouge corner at Spa has been particularly troublesome, where Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had to lift off the throttle due to plank wear concerns in previous races.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time plank wear has caused disqualification. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc faced similar issues at different races in 2023. Their cars were disqualified for excessive wear on the skid blocks and rear plank.
Mercedes had also removed a major upgrade package from their W15 car after a difficult Friday session at Spa. The rain-affected final practice might have impacted their setup, leaving them more exposed to plank wear issues during the dry race conditions.
Mercedes is working meticulously to prevent future plank wear issues and avoid disqualifications.
Source: Planetf1
