Hamilton, Leclerc disqualified from USGP; Sargeant scores first point

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have both been disqualified from the United States Grand Prix for failing post-race technical checks.

Hamilton originally finished second and Leclerc sixth at Circuit of The Americas, but both Mercedes and Ferrari were then summoned to the stewards due to the level of wear found on their planks that are within the floor of the car to ensure teams do not run their cars too low. The rear skids on both cars were outside the threshold permitted in the technical regulations and led to the usual penalty of disqualification for non-compliance.

“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’ decision read for both disqualifications.

“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.”

The punishments see Lando Norris promoted to second ahead of Carlos Sainz, with Sergio Perez fourth. George Russell, Pierre Gasly, Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda also moved up in the points, while Williams pair Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant rise from 11th and 12th to ninth and 10th respectively, giving Sargeant his first point.

The result for Sargeant is the first time an American driver has scored a point in Formula 1 since 1993, when Michael Andretti finished third at the Italian Grand Prix.