Following Lewis Hamilton’s expulsion from the US GP, Martin Brundle point finger at FIA.

Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the United States Grand Prix after failing a post-race plank check.

Martin Brundle has expressed doubt about the FIA’s procedure for removing Lewis Hamilton from the United States Grand Prix. After failing a post-race plank check, Mercedes was later fined for running the 38-year-old’scartoo low, so he could not fully enjoy his podium finish.

Hamilton lost second place and 18 crucial points, which would have put him within striking distance of Sergio Perez in the Drivers’ Championship standings, as a result of the incident. Only four cars were examined by the FIA after the race, and Charles Leclerc received the same penalty after Ferrari was also found to have violated the technical rules.

Given that 50% of the vehicles examined were determined to be cause for disqualification and it would not be unreasonable to assume that at least one other driver who was unchecked may have been guilty of the same offense, Brundle has since argued that all 20 cars should have been put through similar inspections.

He stated in his Sky Sports column that “Hamilton’s Mercedes and Leclerc’s Ferrari were found to have too much wear, for which the only remedy is disqualification, however minimal the indiscretion.”

“There can be no grey area on this. The next big question, however, is that if 50 per cent of the tested cars failed, then shouldn’t all the finishers have been checked? The answer must surely be yes.

“It must be said that the FIA checks pre- and post-race are beyond comprehensive. The published list includes over 50 separate and detailed checks mostly on all classified finishers, and a few on randomly selected cars.”

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Brundle went on to explain that the unique nature of the race weekend might have prevented teams from gaining enough knowledge about the circuit to set up their cars properly. Drivers only had a single hour of practice on the bumpy surface on Friday, while the intensity of the sprint a day later may also have contributed to increased levels of plank wear.

“Setting a ride height for the duration of the event at a bumpy track like Austin, with only one practice session, is quite a challenge with regard to performance, driver and car tolerance, and of course plank-wear legality, especially with a full fuel tank,” continued Brundle.

They would lose so much performance if they simply raised the car out of caution that they might as well pack up and go home.