Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc disqualified from U.S. Grand Prix،
AUSTIN, Texas — Lewis Hamilton lost second place in the United States Grand Prix after technical infractions saw him and Charles Leclerc disqualified from the race.
After the checkered flag, Hamilton’s Mercedes and Leclerc’s Ferrari were inspected by the FIA and found to be in breach of Article 3.5.9. e), which concerns the wear of the board located under the car.
The disqualification cost Hamilton a hard-fought second position, in which he edged out race winner Max Verstappen in the closing stages.
Leclerc, who started from pole position, finished sixth.
The article in question specifies: “The thickness of the assembly of boards measured perpendicular to the lower surface must be 10 mm. [plus or minus] 0.2 mm and must be uniform when new.
“A minimum thickness of 9mm will be accepted due to wear, and compliance with this provision will be checked at the peripheries of the designated holes.”
In the verdict, the stewards said “the heavy wear on the pads was likely the result of the unique combination of the bumpy track and the sprint racing schedule which minimized the time for tuning and checking the car before the race “.
The decision to exclude both cars from the result was confirmed shortly before 7:30 p.m., almost four hours after the race ended.
The board – a strip of wood resin attached to the bottom of the car – is used by the FIA to measure how well teams are driving at low altitudes and prevent them from exploring potentially dangerous setup choices.
Running a car lower can provide a performance advantage, but the lower a car is set up to ride, the more the board wears as it scrapes along the track surface.
If the thickness of the board drops below 9mm at any of its four measuring points, the car is considered illegal and will be disqualified from the results.
Four cars were selected for board wear checks after the United States Grand Prix: Verstappen, Lando Norris (who finished second after Hamilton’s disqualification), Hamilton and Leclerc.
