Russell: Heartbreaking!

One has to feel for Russell after the great race he delivered with a one-stop strategy, but in the end those are the rules and these things happen in motorsport.

On social media, and after the FIA announced his disqualification, Russell wrote: "Heartbreaking… We came in 1.5kg underweight and have been disqualified from the race.

"We left it all on the track today and I take pride in crossing the line first. There will be more to come," he insisted.

Later in Mercedes post race report, the Briton added: "It had been an unbelievable Grand Prix for us to make the one-stop strategy work.

"In what turned out to be my final stint, the tyres just kept getting better and better. I was nursing them in the early stages and as we went further, I became more and more convinced we could get to the end on them. It was a risk worth taking and it looked like it had paid off.

"Despite the disqualification, I am of course proud to have crossed the line first," he added. "It is also good that the team was still able to take the victory with Lewis. He drove a great race and was the fastest car out there on the two-stop strategy.

"Whilst I'm incredibly disappointed, I know we will bounce back stronger after the summer break, starting in Zandvoort," Russell concluded.

Russell kept cool as teammate Lewis Hamilton hunted him down on fresher tyres, and managed to deny the seven-time Formula 1 Champion from taking the chequered flag first.

Hamilton was clearly disturbed after the race as he believed he was given the wrong Mercedes strategy.