The plank under Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes appeared to have worn too thin during the United States Grand Prix; Hamilton had finished second behind Max Verstappen; Charles Leclerc was also disqualified from sixth place for the same infringement
Last updated: 23/10/23 01:55
Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of finishing second in the Drivers’ Championship have suffered a major blow
Lewis Hamilton lost his second place at the United States Grand Prix after being disqualified when his Mercedes failed a physical inspection for floor and plank wear after Sunday’s race.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was found guilty of the same offense and was also disqualified from his sixth place finish.
The skids on the underside of each of their cars, which are designed to impose minimum ground clearance for F1 cars, were so worn that they were no longer within Formula 1 rules.
Hamilton’s disqualification promoted McLaren’s Lando Norris to second place behind race winner Max Verstappen, and the other Ferrari of Carlos Sainz to the podium.
Meanwhile, Williams’ Logan Sargeant scores the first point of his rookie F1 season after being promoted to tenth, with both of the team’s drivers scoring while Alex Albon jumped to ninth.
An FIA statement confirming the decision said Mercedes and Ferrari had acknowledged that their respective infringements were “likely to be a result of the unique combination of the bumpy circuit and the sprint race schedule, which reduced the time to complete the car before the race and monitoring was kept to a minimum”. .
The statement added: “The stewards note that it is the competitor’s responsibility to ensure that the car is in compliance with regulations at all times during an event.”
Both teams have the option to appeal the ruling, but social media posts on their official accounts appeared to suggest the decisions had been accepted.
Hamilton had been left frustrated after painfully missing out on a first victory in almost two years to world champion Max Verstappen, but victory was ultimately stolen from him.
The disqualification is a major blow to Hamilton’s hopes of chasing Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez for second place in the drivers’ standings.
The Mexican was promoted from fifth to fourth and instead of leading Hamilton by just 19 points going into the final four rounds of the season, he has a 39-point lead.
Updated United States GP result
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Lando Norris, McLaren
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
5) George Russell, Mercedes
6) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
7) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
8) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
9) Alex Albon, Williams
10) Logan Sargeant, Williams
How did teams and drivers react?
F1 heads straight to Mexico for the middle leg of the US triple header. Watch the entire Mexico City Grand Prix weekend live on Sky Sports F1 from Friday, with Sunday’s race at 8pm. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW