At the US Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton came in second place behind Max Verstappen, but the stewards are looking into his and Charles Leclerc’s vehicles.
Lewis Hamilton is being investigated by the United States Grand Prix stewards after a check on his Mercedes car which could threaten his podium finish. There is a newer version of this article which you can read by clicking here.
The seven-time world champion came in second place in the Austin race. He was closing in on the eventual winner Max Verstappen in the closing laps, and if the race had been a few more, he might have even taken the victory.
In the end, he had to settle for second place, but even that position is now in jeopardy. When Jo Bauer, an FIA technical delegate, had his Mercedes inspected after the race, he discovered a problem.
The floors and plank wear on the underside of the Hamilton and Charles Leclerc cars were examined. They also discovered that the skids on the underside of both cars did not adhere to the regulations.
The stewards have received referrals for both Hamilton and Leclerc. They will now look into the situation and may punish both drivers if it turns out that they were operating vehicles that did not adhere to F1 regulations.
“A physical floor and a plank wear inspection was carried out on car numbers 16 [Leclerc] and 44 [Hamilton], according to an official FIA document that Bauer signed. It has been determined that the skids in the vicinity of -825 XR – 1025 do not comply with Article 3.5.9e) of the 2023 Formula One Technical Regulations. I’m sending the stewards this matter for their consideration.
What will come of the investigation is still a mystery. However, vehicles that fail post-race technical inspections are frequently completely disqualified.
Disqualification for Hamilton would push Lando Norris up to second place and Carlos Sainz onto the podium. If both drivers have their results taken away, then Logan Sargeant would rise to 10th place and score his first ever F1 world championship point.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton had been very pleased with his result and also paid tribute to Red Bull and Verstappen who managed to beat him again. “I came in fighting, felt great, and really happy with this result,” he told reporters.
These guys deserve our congratulations. All year long, this team has simply done an amazing job; they have dominated, and Max has been absolutely perfect. I was hopeful as we closed in on him toward the finish line, but we still required some additional laps. The team worked extremely hard over the weekend to bring this upgrade here.