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Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been disqualified from the 2023 F1 US GP for failing post-race plank checks. In a post-race inspection, it was found that the two drivers' cars had not passed the preliminary checks and hence were referred to the stewards.
The stewards verified the findings and had a hearing with team officials from both squads. They agreed that the violations could have been a result of the track's bumpy nature. However, it is still the team's responsibility that the car setups are not compromised or are in breach of any technical regulations.
After the hearing with members from both teams, the stewards decided to disqualify both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton from the race. A press release by the FIA read:
"During the hearing, the team acknowledged that the measurement performed by the FIA Technical Team was correct and stated that the high wear on the skid pads was probably a result of the unique combination of the bumpy track and the Sprint race schedule that minimized the time to set up and check the car before the race."
"The Stewards note that the onus is on the competitor to ensure that the car is in compliance with the regulations at all times during an event. In this particular case, 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. Therefore, the standard penalty for a breach of the Technical Regulations is imposed."
Lewis Hamilton was in P2 while Charles Leclerc started the race on pole
Lewis Hamilton had an impressive run to P2 this weekend, while Charles Leclerc secured a stunning pole position on Friday. This is likely going to be a heartbreaking moment for Leclerc; his pole position did not yield points anyway in terms of results, and then even that was taken away from him.
For Lewis Hamilton as well, this one is probably going to sting. The driver was in good form all weekend and had scored a very impressive P2 finish. Not only that, but Hamilton also ended up challenging for the win against Max Verstappen who was able to hold on for that result.
