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Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the United States Grand Prix after their cars failed a post-race inspection.
The Mercedes driver, who finished second behind world champion Max Verstappen and the Ferrari star, who finished in sixth – were both struck with failures to a physical floor and plank wear inspection on their vehicles.
Used to ensure a minimum ground clearance, the skids on the bottom of their respective cars had worn away beyond F1 regulations. Hamilton's disqualification handed an unexpected podium finish for Carlos Sainz, with McLaren's Lando Norris moving up to second.
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After learning of the news, seven-time world champion Hamilton said: "It is of course disappointing to be disqualified post-race but that doesn't take away from the progress we've made this weekend."
The official FIA statement had noted the probable cause of the breach by saying it was: "Probably a result of the unique combination of the bumpy track and the Sprint race schedule that minimised the time to set up and check the car before the race."
The statement added: "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."
Was a disqualification the right call, or too harsh a punishment? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
Both teams seemed to accept the ruling of the officials after making fans aware on social media, despite having the option to appeal.
Hamilton, 38, was left frustrated after missing out on his first race win in almost two years but his impressive finish in the end meant nothing.
Despite sitting third in the drivers' standings, Hamilton has only had five podium finishes across 18 races so far in 2023 despite noting the progress of the team.
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It was also his first race disqualification since the opening day of the 2009 season with McLaren – 291 races ago.
The Circuit of The Americas is known as one of the bumpiest tracks of the F1 calendar, but the other 15 drivers who finished passed checks of their own cars.
The result leaves Verstappen, who has already claimed a third-consecutive world championship, 226 points clear of team-mate Perez.
- Lewis Hamilton
- Ferrari
- Mercedes
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