Lewis Hamilton suspects more than ’50 per cent’ of F1 cars would have breached plank rules at US GP if whole grid were checked
Lewis Hamilton believes other drivers would have been punished during the American GP if their car had been checked
Lewis Hamilton believes more cars than just his and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari would have been disqualified from the United States GP due to excessive plank wear if post-race checks had been extended to more than just four cars.
Hamilton lost second place in Austin last Sunday after it turned out that the brake pads on his Mercedes were worn too thin. Leclerc’s Ferrari, which had finished sixth, fell foul of the same regulations.
Due to the nature of the FIA’s long-standing policy of random sampling of certain areas of cars to check compliance with the rules, only four cars were checked for plank wear after the race, with half of them failing.
“In fact, that was the first time we had a sprint race there (in Austin) and they only tested a few cars and 50 percent of them were disqualified,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Mexico City GP this weekend.
“There are many more driver’s cars that were illegal (but not checked).
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Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton reflects on his disqualification from the United States Grand Prix and emphasizes that the sport suffers from such moves.
“The slippage is not a performance element. Of course, if you have a flat surface, everyone will push their car as low as possible. But it tends to be that some cars handle bumps better than others and you know we’ve had that too. ” a very stiff and bumpy car from the last two years.
“But ultimately it didn’t comply with regulations and that needs to change.”
Hamilton continued with the press later on Thursday: “Firstly, I have heard from various sources that there were many other cars that were also illegal, but they were not tested, so they got away with it.
“I’ve been racing here for sixteen years. There have been many scenarios like this where some people got away with certain things and some people were just unlucky enough to be tested.
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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc says that although it was frustrating, he understood why he faced a disqualification after the Austin GP.
“So I think ultimately there probably needs to be a better structure to make sure it’s fair and even across the board.”
Other drivers agreed that if more cars had been checked after the race at Parc Ferme, similar board wear issues would have been discovered.
Williams’ Alex Albon said: “I think maybe you don’t have to check every car all the time every race.
“But if one driver in one team is illegal, there is a very good chance that the other car, that driver’s teammate, will also be illegal.”
Lando Norris’s McLaren was one of two cars tested found to be within the accepted limits for board wear – Max Verstappen’s race-winning Red Bull was the other – and it was the Briton who inherited second place from the excluded Hamilton.
“I’m always a bit surprised (to see the disqualifications),” Norris told Sky F1.
“I would have loved it if they checked more cars.”
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A somewhat surprised Lando Norris reflects on the Austin disqualifications and admits he hoped more cars would be checked.
When asked if this should have been the case, Norris replied: “They should have.”
And Alpine’s Esteban Ocon said: “I’m sure it’s not the first time there have been such illegal cars on such sprint weekends.
“I think it’s much less likely in the normal format, but I’m sure it was the case in the other races as well.”
So why were only four cars checked for plank wear? The FIA explains…
While all cars are weighed during the parc-ferme inspection after a Grand Prix, and other mandatory checks are carried out, different parts of the car are tested on a random basis at each race to test their compliance.
In an explanation piece published on the governing body’s website on Thursday, the FIA outlined why it was impractical to test every aspect of every car against the regulations every race weekend.
“Conducting these tests involves a huge amount of work in the limited time available after a Grand Prix has concluded and before the cars have to be returned to their teams for disassembly and transport to the next race,” it said governing body.
“However, although a wide range of checks are carried out, it is impossible to examine every parameter of every car in the short time available – and this is especially true on consecutive race weekends, when freight deadlines also have to be taken into account.
“This is why the process of randomly selecting a number of cars for post-race checking based on various aspects of the regulations is so valuable. Each team is aware that selection is possible and understands that there is a good chance that a lack of compliance will be revealed. .”
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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen emphasizes that respect for all drivers is important after he was booed during the United States Grand Prix.
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World champion Verstappen sees the complications for the FIA in the inspection process, but nevertheless believes that at least a team’s second car should also be checked if the first breaks a technical rule.
“But then you won’t get the race result until Tuesday, I think, when you have to check every car,” said Verstappen. “The problem is that it is simply impossible to control everything.
“The thought process of every team is that no one wants to be illegal, so no one sets up their car to be illegal. But then of course you also have the random checks that are carried out. Sometimes it’s the top four, sometimes it’s in the middle of the field, the back – that’s just how it goes.
“You can’t check every car for every part, otherwise it would take a hundred extra people to do this kind of thing.
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Highlights from the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.
“I think the only thing is that if you check one car of a team and it is illegal, you have to check the other one too. That’s the only thing for me. Because then you DQ one, and then the other. Position goes up “a position where you normally always perform quite similar setups.”
Albon suggested: “I don’t know how much it would cost to check a few more cars, but I don’t think that would be that much of a problem. But I don’t know, I’m not a checker.”
Mercedes and Ferrari accepted that they had made mistakes and were caught in the adjustment of their cars. During a sprint weekend, teams must commit to their adjustments after just one practice session. Normally, teams have three one-hour sessions to fine-tune their cars for qualifying and time to simulate more race-like conditions.
While accepting that Mercedes was wrong with the ride height of their W14, Hamilton believes what he called “ridiculous” post-race situations such as last Sunday’s one where cars were excluded could be more easily avoided.
“I think the sport really had such a great weekend, there was such a great turnout and a great race, and every time we take steps forward within the sport, the sport is really affected by something like that,” he said .
“So we have to do something. Hopefully they learn a little for the future.
“Rather than checking everyone and over 50 percent of the cars that break down, which I would put all my money on, maybe instead, for example if we have a sprint race, we should just be able to stop the slip (block) or the floor on Saturday evening, so that you don’t have this ridiculous event afterwards on Sunday.”
When can you only watch the Mexico City GP live on Sky Sports F1?
Friday October 27
7 p.m.: Mexico City GP, practice one
8:45 PM: The F1 show
10:45 PM: GP of Mexico City, practice two (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
Saturday October 28
6.15 pm: GP practice three of Mexico City
9 p.m.: Mexico City GP qualifying build-up (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
10 p.m.: Mexico City GP qualifying (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
Sunday October 29
6:30 PM: Grand Prix Sunday Mexico City GP build-up (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
8 p.m.: The GRAND PRIZE OF MEXICO CITY (also on Sky Sports Main Event)
10 p.m.: Checkered flag: Mexico City GP
F1 is in 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