Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been disqualified from the 2023 United States Grand Prix after their cars were found to have breached the technical regulations. The FIA Technical Delegate reported that the skids located in the rear area of their cars were excessively worn down, which could give them an aerodynamic advantage. The skids are designed to prevent the cars from running too low and scraping the track surface.
Hamilton had finished second behind Max Verstappen, closing the gap in the drivers’ championship to 12 points. Leclerc had crossed the line in sixth, after a brave one-stop strategy that saw him fend off George Russell in the final laps. Both drivers were stripped of their points and positions, which means that Verstappen now leads Hamilton by 37 points with four races to go.
Mercedes and Ferrari appeal the decision
Both Mercedes and Ferrari have decided to appeal the disqualification, arguing that the high wear on the skid pads was caused by the bumpy track and the Sprint race schedule that reduced the time to set up and check the car before the race. They also claimed that they did not gain any performance benefit from the worn skids, and that they complied with the minimum ride height requirement.
However, the stewards rejected their arguments, stating that “the onus is on the competitor to ensure that the car is in compliance with the regulations at all times during an event”. They also noted that “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”.
Norris and Sainz promoted to podium
The disqualification of Hamilton and Leclerc promoted Lando Norris to second place and Carlos Sainz to third, giving McLaren and Ferrari their second podiums of the season respectively. Norris had a strong race, starting from fourth and overtaking Sergio Perez on lap 11. He then held off Perez for the rest of the race, despite having a slower car and older tyres.
Sainz had a more eventful race, starting from ninth and making his way up to fifth by lap 20. He then pitted for hard tyres on lap 21, hoping to go to the end of the race. However, he suffered a slow puncture on lap 37, which forced him to pit again for medium tyres. He rejoined in eighth place, but managed to overtake Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly and Leclerc in the final laps.
Russell scores best result for Williams
The disqualification also benefited George Russell, who moved up from seventh to fifth, scoring his best result for Williams and his second points finish of the season. Russell had qualified sixth for the Sprint race, but lost two places at the start. He then regained one position by passing Gasly on lap 5, and held on to seventh place until the end of the race.
Russell started seventh for the main race, but lost one place to Sainz on lap 1. He then stayed close to Leclerc throughout the race, hoping to take advantage of his fresher tyres in the final stages. He made a move on Leclerc on lap 54, but was unable to complete it. He crossed the line just 0.2 seconds behind Leclerc, but was later promoted to fifth after his disqualification.
Sargeant scores first point on home soil
The final beneficiary of the disqualification was Logan Sargeant, who scored his first point in Formula One by finishing tenth on his home soil. Sargeant had qualified 15th for the Sprint race, but gained two places at the start. He then overtook Alex Albon on lap 8, and held on to 12th place until the end of the race.
Sargeant started 12th for the main race, but lost one place to Lance Stroll on lap 1. He then stayed in 13th place for most of the race, until he pitted for soft tyres on lap 46. He rejoined in 14th place, but quickly passed Albon and Tsunoda on lap 47. He then caught up with Stroll on lap 55, and passed him on lap 56 to take tenth place.
