© Sam Bloxham for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been disqualified from the United States Grand Prix after their cars’ floor planks were found to have excessive wear.
Lewis Hamilton put in a brilliant performance at the United States Grand Prix, and finished the race in P2.
However, his car did not pass the post-race inspection, as his car’s floor plank had shown excessive wear. Charles Leclerc’s car also failed the inspection.
“A physical floor and a plank wear inspection was carried out on car numbers 16 and 44,“ a statement from FIA Formula One Technical Delegate Jo Bauer read.
“The skids are found not to be in compliance with Article 3.5.9e) of the Formula One Technical Regulations.
“I am referring the matter to the stewards for their convenience,” the statement concluded.
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According to the rules, if the floor plank shows wear of more than 1mm, the driver of that car will face disqualification.
Ultimately, the stewards have decided to disqualify both drivers.
“During the hearing the team acknowledged that the measurement performed by the FIA Technical Team was correct and stated 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,” the stewards’ decision read.
“The stewards note that the onus is on the competitor to ensure that the car is in compliance with the regulations at all times during an event. In this particular case, the rear skid in the area defined in the Technical Delegate’s report was outside of the thresholds outlined in Article 3.5.9 e) of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations, which includes a tolerance for wear.
“Therefore, the standard penalty for a breach of the Technical Regulations is imposed,” the decision concluded.
