Lewis Hamilton disqualified after finishing second in US Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton Disqualified from US Grand Prix for Driving Illegal Car

In a surprising turn of events, Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from his second-place finish in Sunday’s United States Grand Prix due to driving an illegal car. The decision came nearly four hours after the race concluded, leaving Hamilton and his team shocked and disappointed.

The disqualification was based on a violation of Article 3.5.9 e) of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations, which states that the plank on the car cannot wear below 9mm thickness. The stewards discovered that the depth of the new floor on Hamilton’s Mercedes did not comply with this regulation.

It is worth noting that Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who finished sixth, also faced disqualification for the same breach in the race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

As a result of Hamilton’s disqualification, Lando Norris was elevated to the second-place position, behind race winner Max Verstappen. Carlos Sainz moved up to third place, and Sergio Perez was promoted to fourth, further extending his lead over Hamilton in the championship standings.

Following the race, Mercedes’ sporting director Ron Meadows, trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin, and reliability chief Richard Lane joined Hamilton’s defense in a hearing with the FIA stewards. However, their efforts proved fruitless, as Hamilton’s punishment was announced shortly after the meeting concluded.

The FIA released a statement explaining their decision. Mercedes acknowledged that the FIA’s measurement of the car was accurate and attributed the excessive wear on the skid pads to the bumpy track and the sprint race schedule on Saturday. However, the stewards emphasized that it is the competitor’s responsibility to ensure compliance with regulations at all times.

Random scrutineering checks were conducted on four cars after the race, with both Verstappen’s Red Bull and Norris’ McLaren passing the inspections.

Hamilton expressed his disappointment at the disqualification but remained determined to focus on the progress made. Toto Wolff, the team boss of Mercedes, acknowledged the challenges of setting up the car during a sprint weekend with limited practice time and a demanding circuit like COTA. He accepted the decision and vowed to learn from the experience.

Interestingly, this incident evokes memories of Michael Schumacher’s disqualification from the 1994 Belgian Grand Prix, which allowed Damon Hill to claim victory.

Among the post-race penalties, Williams’ Logan Sargeant secured his first-ever point in Formula One, becoming the first American to score in the sport since Michael Andretti achieved the same feat 30 years ago for McLaren at the Italian Grand Prix.