Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have both been disqualified from the United States Grand Prix, having already crossed the line in second and sixth place respectively. The post-race decision follows a failed plank wear inspection of the floors of the Mercedes and the Ferrari car, which were said to have worn away to the point that they were no longer within Formula 1 minimum ground clearance regulations.
Hamilton’s disqualification saw McLaren’s Lando Norris claim his second place, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz also moving up the order and onto the podium in third place. Meanwhile, Leclerc’s loss of a sixth place finish at the Circuit of the Americas have lost him precious points and his position in the drivers standings to Norris, who leapfrogged the Monegasque.
Post-race floor checks were also completed on the cars of race winner Max Verstappen and Norris. However, the respective Red Bull and McLaren were deemed to be compliant with the rules. With two of the four inspected cars failing to meet regulations, some have began to wonder just how many other cars on the grid were also non-compliant, but were not checked and subsequently benefitted from the disqualification of Hamilton and Leclerc.
This news caps off an already disappointing weekend for Leclerc, who started the race on Sunday, October 22 in pole position and suffered since. Scuderia Ferrari Sporting Director Diego Ioverno better explained Leclerc’s disqualification in the video below.
This article has been written by Jack Brodie for NEWS.MC, and as such is not to be republished under another name on another website.
Featured image courtesy of @ScuderiaFerrari on X
