F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Hamilton convinced ‘a lot of other cars were illegal’ in US GP

Lewis Hamilton says that he heard from “several sources” that there were more than two cars that had illegal floor planks at the end of the US Grand Prix.

Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were both excluded from the results of last weekend’s race in Austin when a random post-race check revealed that the floor plank on their car had worn beyond the 1mm margin authorized by the regulations.

However, the FIA’s technical delegate only measured the planks of four cars, with the assemblies on Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and Lando Norris’ McLaren deemed legal.

For practical reasons, the FIA did not extend its checks to other cars, but Hamilton was convinced that others would have fallen foul of the rules had they been tested.

“Firstly I've heard from several different sources that there were a lot of other cars that were also illegal,” he told the media on Thursday in Mexico. “But they weren't tested, so they got away with it.

“I've been racing here 16 years, there's been times where there's been many other scenarios like this where some people got away with certain things, and some people have just been unlucky they got tested.

“So I think ultimately there probably needs to be some sort of better structure in terms of making sure it's fair and even across the board.”

Read also:

Hamilton, who had finished second on the road at The Circuit of the Americas after a solid drive, perhaps his best of the year, admitted that his disqualification from the race was a bitter blow.

“I just came out of the press conference, got back, and I was about to get in the ice tub,” he said. “And then Toto [Wolff] came running down and told me.

“Obviously [I was] devastated [as] it had been such a great day and great race.

“But yeah, and then I didn't find out fully until I was back home. Yeah, just a bit deflated after the day, but there were lots of positives to take from it.”

Mercedes said that COTA’s bumps and the car’s imperfect settings due to teams having only a single practice session to set up their cars led to the planks unexpected wear and tear.

Hamilton agreed that last weekend’s sprint format – a first in Austin – contributed significantly to the issue.

“We've never had that problem in Austin before,” he said. “It was just because we had the sprint race as well, so an easy solution, an easy fix for that one, for example, is that we are able to change the floors after the...

“Well, just approach the weekend differently, where the car is not set already from Friday morning, especially at the bumpiest track that we've been on, because that's really the only reason that there are failures.

“It's just because it's so bumpy, and some cars have better ride quality than others. Look at the Ferrari, look at Charles' head and my head.

“We have pretty bad ride, and our heads are bumping around quite a lot because the car is hitting the deck. It's not because we generally are just pushing the car too low.”

Hamilton denied that Mercedes had exposed itself to its plank issue by “pushing the car too low”, insisting on the contrary that the team’s W14 works better with a higher ride height.

“I think firstly we need to just address the point that last year, our car was best when it was low, super low,” he said. “So we were low and stiff.

“Our car works better at high ride heights now. So it's not that we're just pushing the car too low.

“It was just an unfortunate scenario. 0.05 [mm] failure on the rear skid, it's not going to make the difference between winning and losing. So that error wasn't the reason that we were as fast as were.

“So that's why it's just been painful for us. Because, you know, if we had changed our rear springs, for example, perhaps we would have had better ride.

“But anyways, we're hopeful that the performance will continue this weekend. And yeah, just making sure that guys don't overreact. I think we'll be fine.”

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Alonso pushed through agonizing pain to complete Sao Paulo GP

Fernando Alonso braved both physical agony and mechanical challenges in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix,…

17 mins ago

Alpine double-podium in Brazil could deliver $30 million windfall

Alpine’s remarkable double podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix with Esteban Ocon and Pierre…

15 hours ago

F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2024 São Paulo GP

Alexander Albon, Williams (Did Not Start): 5.5/10 Alex Albon is definitely going through something of…

16 hours ago

Jos Verstappen rips British media after Brazilian Max fest

Jos Verstappen wasted no time after his son spectacular win at the São Paulo Grand…

18 hours ago

Leclerc left with ‘mixed feelings’ after disappointing Sao Paulo GP

Charles Leclerc's weekend in Sao Paulo was unfortunately a stark contrast to Ferrari's recent triumphs…

19 hours ago

Back when Kimi knew exactly what he was doing

Twelve years ago on this day, Kimi Raikkonen took a popular win at the 2012…

21 hours ago