Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been excluded from the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas.
Hamilton and Leclerc had their cars flagged during post-race scrutineering for excessive plank wear.
Specifically, they were found in breach of Article 3.5.9 e) of the sport’s technical regulations and referred to the stewards as a result.
The outcome of the resultant stewards hearings has seen Hamilton and Leclerc disqualified from the race, with the same reasoning applied to both.
UPDATED Results: United States Grand Prix
“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 finding noted.
“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.”
Hamilton had finished second, promoting Lando Norris a spot and Carlos Sainz to third. Leclerc finished sixth.
The big winner from the exclusion is Logan Sargeant, who was 12th to the flag, who will now be classified 10th.
It marks the American’s first points finish in F1.
Scuderia AlphaTauri also gained, with Yuki Tsunoda improving two places to eighth, the team’s best finish of the year.
Together with the bonus point for fastest lap, the squad picked up five points versus three for Williams and none for Haas.
It leaves the bottom three teams in the constructors’ championship now split by six points, and Daniel Ricciardo the only driver on the current grid yet to get off the mark.
The points hit for Hamilton is also good news for Sergio Perez, who now holds a 39-point advantage over him for second in the drivers’ championship with four races remaining.
