Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc have both been disqualified from Sunday’s (October 22) United States Grand Prix after their cars failed post-race inspections, the International Automobile Federation said (FIA).
Former world champion Hamilton finished second behind Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in Austin, while Leclerc placed sixth. Both drivers had those results overturned after a technical team found excessive wear on the floors of their cars.
Their disqualification comes a few hours after the victory of Max Verstappen, leader in the Formula 1 world championship, at the United States Grand Prix on the Circuit of the Americas in Austin (Texas).
Lando Norris propelled to second place
In a statement, the FIA ??said both teams had acknowledged the findings of the inspection report on the irregularities found, which they said were likely attributable to the bumpy track and the tight time frame between races on Saturday and Sunday.
It “is the responsibility of competitors to ensure that the car complies with the rules throughout the competition,” recalled the FIA.
With the disqualification of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris (McLaren) moved up to second place while Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who had placed fourth, now occupies third place. Mercedes driver George Russell moved from seventh to fifth place, after the disqualification of Hamilton, a member of the same team.
50th success for Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) equaled the record for victories in a season (fifteen) that he set last year and he still has four Grands Prix left this year to improve it. Given the superiority of his RB19, the Dutchman should set the bar even higher.
Starting sixth, Verstappen began his comeback from the first corner by getting the better of Briton George Russell (Mercedes). After being more than five seconds behind Norris, the Dutchman, slowed down a little by traffic, did not panic and overtook his opponents one by one.
He finally took control of the Grand Prix after the first tire change, mid-race, overtaking Norris on the 28th of the 56 laps of the event. He then continued, despite front brake problems that he mentioned several times on the radio, to win with just two seconds ahead of Hamilton.
“I struggled a lot with my brakes and missed a few braking points. This made things more difficult today. It was very close at the end with the latecomers. It’s incredible to win my 50th Grand Prix, I’m very proud and I’ll continue to attack to get even more,” said the Dutchman.
