NASCAR star Danica Patrick reacts to George Russell’s DQ from the Belgium Grand Prix

Danica Patrick expressed disappointment regarding George Russell's disqualification from the 2024 Belgium Grand Prix. A seasoned Indycar driver, Patrick made history by winning the 2008 Indy Japan 300, marking the only victory by a woman in an IndyCar Series race.

Recently, she has become a familiar figure on Sky Sports' F1 coverage, serving as a pundit for various races.

Responding to Russell's disqualification due to his car's weight discrepancies after his victory, Danica Patrick voiced her thoughts on Instagram, stating:

"Well that's heartbreaking 💔🤦‍♀️"

Danica Patrick's Instagram Story (@danicapatrick)

George Russell was disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix after his Mercedes Formula 1 car was found to weigh below the mandatory minimum of 798kg, resulting in Lewis Hamilton being declared the winner. Russell initially crossed the finish line first, managing his hard tires expertly through a one-stop strategy to narrowly beat Hamilton by just half a second.

However, post-race scrutiny changed the outcome. According to a Technical Delegate’s Report, although the car initially met the minimum weight requirement, it fell short after 2.8 liters of fuel were removed for testing. The report explained the details of this discrepancy [via F1]:

"The car was not fully drained according to the draining procedure submitted by the team in their legality documents as TR Article 6.5.2 is fulfilled. The car was weighed again on the FIA inside and outside scales and the weight was 796.5 kg."

"The calibration of the outside and inside scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. As this is 1.5 kg below the minimum weight requested in TR Article 4.1, which also has to be respected at all times during the competition, I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration."

When the stewards looked into it, they found that Article 4.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations was violated. As a result, they had to enforce the standard penalty for such a breach. It was later confirmed that Russell was disqualified from the race, bumping Hamilton up to P1. Consequently, Oscar Piastri landed in P2 and Charles Leclerc ascended to P3.

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Danica Patrick reacts to the controversial segment of the 2024 Paris Olympics' opening ceremony

During the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, the company C Spire faced backlash for a segment that reimagined Leonardo da Vinci's painting, "The Last Supper" using drag queens and transgender performers, sparking widespread criticism from religious leaders and politicians for being supposedly anti-Christian. Following the controversy, C Spire withdrew their advertising from the Olympics.

Addressing the segment and the response it got, Danica Patrick took to her Instagram story to express her confusion and frustration, asking:

"How did all that pass standards and practices in the first place? I remember when I hosted the espys that many jokes did not pass... and it's meant to poke fun and not be taken seriously. What the fu** is going on? Who is in charge?"

Danica Patrick's Instagram Story (@danicapatrick)