F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Responds To Disqualification

Hamilton's optimism remains unshaken despite a post-race disqualification at the Austin Grand Prix, attributing the technical setback to unique racing conditions.

Following the post-race disqualification of Lewis Hamilton from the United States Grand Prix, the world champion has voiced his disappointment but remains optimistic about the progress his team made. Hamilton believed he had secured a second-place finish, only for technical infringements to strip it away.

Key Takeaways:

• Hamilton and Leclerc were disqualified due to excessive plank wear on their cars.
• Norris, Sainz, and Perez benefit from the disqualifications, moving up the leaderboard.
• Unique track conditions combined with a condensed Sprint race schedule may have contributed to the high wear.

Austin, TX - The high-speed drama of the Formula 1 Austin Grand Prix didn't end with the waving of the chequered flag. In a shocking twist, both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been disqualified from their respective second and fifth positions. The FIA found that both the Mercedes W14 and Ferrari SF23 exceeded the permitted wear on the plank on their cars' floors.

Hamilton, visibly elated after what he believed was a hard-fought second-place finish, responded to the disqualification with grace. 

“We had a good pace and I was feeling great in the car. I feel positive as we go forward, even though we thought we could have won today. Of course it's disappointing to be disqualified after the race, but it doesn't take away from the progress we made this weekend,” he commented.

The reshuffling saw Lando Norris of McLaren ascend to second, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz capturing third. Sergio Perez, who has been locked in a fierce battle for second in the championship standings with Hamilton, now secures the fourth spot. George Russell, Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, now finds himself in fifth. The remaining drivers in the top ten, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon, and Logan Sargent, all benefit from the rulings, with Sargent earning his first-ever F1 points.

While fans and pundits alike were in disbelief over the outcome, the technical reasons for the disqualifications were clear. The FIA's regulations dictate a specific tolerance for wear on the car’s plank, a measure to ensure floor legality and performance fairness. Both Hamilton's and Leclerc's vehicles were found to be outside this tolerance.

The unique challenges posed by the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, paired with the constraints of a Sprint race weekend, have been highlighted by teams as potential contributors to the excessive wear. Representatives from both Mercedes and Ferrari were called to discuss the issue with the Stewards post-race. The concurrence was that the “high wear on the skid pads was probably a result of the unique combination of the bumpy track and the Sprint race schedule that minimized the time to set up and check the car before the race.”

In an official communique from the Stewards, it was clarified that: 

"A physical floor and a plank wear inspection was carried out on car numbers 16 and 44. The skids shown in the area -825> XR >- 1025 are found to be not in compliance with Article 3.5.9."