(Motorsports news) After finishing only 2.2 seconds behind Austin race winner Max Verstappen, Mercedes racer Hamilton and sixth-placed Leclerc were disqualified for running on overly worn floor planks. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had violated the FIA Technical Regulations, which dictate that the plank assembly measured at designated holes can only wear by 1mm to 9mm over the course of a weekend.
Because their rear skids were ruled illegal, the customary exclusion penalty for a technical violation was imposed. Post-race scrutineering is an integral aspect of motorsport from the ground up. Following an F1 race, a variety of temperature, torque, software, fuel, and component inspections are performed.
However, these are not consistent throughout the 20 cars. The sports regulations allow technical delegate Jo Bauer to perform “any checks to verify the compliance of the cars entered in the competition at his discretion.” As a result, no vehicles had their floors tested after the Japanese GP, one after the Qatar sprint race, and three after the full-length Qatar GP.
Four vehicles were reviewed for Austin. Along with Hamiton’s Mercedes and Leclerc’s Ferrari, Verstappen’s RB19 and runner-up Lando Norris’ McLaren were scrutinized. Based on a range of signs, the FIA can determine which cars should be subjected to additional inspection.
A beaten-up titanium skid plate has a strong odor that can trigger suspicion from the pit wall in the case of a worn floor. The FIA will watch onboard footage to check if drivers’ heads are swaying as a result of bottoming out over bumps. Following the high-profile return of porpoising in conjunction with the implementation of ground effects for 2022, the FIA now measures vertical oscillations in the car to ensure drivers are not put at risk by vibrations.
If a car attracts attention for these unusual movements, the technical delegate will be inclined to look into it further. Bauer is also not limited to one car per team, so if he thought both Mercedes or both Ferraris were running too low, he could have ordered spot inspections for George Russell and Carlos Sainz. The fact that the pair was left alone suggests that Hamilton and Leclerc broke the rules based on their particular setups.
Wearing the rear skid plate indicates that the W14 and SF-23 were either running too low a ride height at the back axle or running too soft, allowing the vehicles to kiss the asphalt when they rebounded from a bump. The fact that Hamilton and Leclerc were flagged does not indicate a premeditated attempt to circumvent the regulations.
Instead, they were taken off guard by the sprint format, which only allows for one hour of rehearsal before the parc ferme kicks in. From then on, teams are severely limited in their ability to modify the car. Due to the short time frame, some teams did not do substantial fuel testing prior to the race. As a result, Hamilton and Leclerc were unable to optimize the car for the Circuit of The Americas bumps, which were even worse this year despite the resurfacing of Turns 12, 14, 15, and 16.
Also read: Next week, Andretti will test a 2023-spec F1 car in a wind tunnel
