© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
After Lewis Hamilton got disqualified from the United States Grand Prix, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff gives his comments on the FIA’s post-race scrutineering process.
Lewis Hamilton finished the United States Grand Prix in P2, however he was later disqualified from the race because his car failed the post-race inspection.
The cause was excessive wear on his car’s floor plank, the same issue that was also found on Charles Leclerc’s car, who was also disqualified.
This caused many fans and observers, and even some pundits, to question the FIA’s decision-making process, especially the fact that they didn’t check all of the cars for wear, after two of the four they inspected were found to be illegal.
The FIA explained they are unable to check all of the cars, because that would mean the final results would come out “six, seven or eight hours after the race has finished”.
After the Mexican Grand Prix, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff chimed in on the debate.
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“I think that the FIA and the scrutineers are too thinly spread,” the Austrian said.
“They’re doing their best and utmost to make sure that everybody is complying to the regulations and that means random picks and random checks are probably the only way you can go.
“Checking plank wear on a sprint race weekend in Austin with the bumpiest track and then turning the result upside down, I think the moment you check it’s clear that you’re going to have some shenanigans afterwards.
“So maybe one can have a little bit of a bigger perspective on these things, but I think the scrutineering and the stewarding is what it is.
“We need robust policing and we were found out to be not complying with the skid wear and then we’re out, that’s clear,” Wolff concluded.
