Disqualifications overshadow 50th Verstappen victory: chance of victims Hamilton and Leclerc

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It was Monday morning at 2:20 am CET when Lewis Hamilton (2nd) and Charles Leclerc (6th) were thrown out of the rankings at the Austin GP. They accidentally became victims of the FIA ​​investigation: the crash barrier under their cars was too worn.

Is there fraud in Formula 1? You cannot answer the question with a clear no. Too many negative examples have accompanied this high-tech sport for years. The gray area is large, the motto is always the same: Don’t get caught!

The amount of the punishment can now also be discussed. Just like the last disqualification in Hungary in 2021, when Vettel missed about half a liter of fuel from his tank after crossing the finish line after his second place in the Aston Martin.

And let’s not forget that Red Bull was punished with seven million dollars and a reduction in wind tunnel times for clearly exceeding the budget limit. The rivals had demanded an exclusion from the World Cup.

Bauer: Only he knows all the cars

As with every race, the team of German technical delegate Jo Bauer (62) – the FIA ​​man who is the only one who knows all the cars down to the last detail – makes a page-long checklist. What and where is checked?

During each race, four cars are also checked to see if the plank has worn within the permitted limits. In Austin, the cars of Hamilton, Leclerc, Norris and anniversary winner Verstappen were selected. Normally a random generator makes the selection. This time it was apparently a more targeted action in this area. Austin has the most bumps and many drivers drive too aggressively over the curbs.

Fuel control at Sainz

The chance of a rule violation is high, so they wanted to know exactly. Verstappen and Norris passed the test and Hamilton and Leclerc’s teammates were not checked. The Spaniard only had a petrol test carried out.

We don’t know if other drivers in this complicated area would also be affected. The only thing that is certain is that this week in Mexico all teams will control their cars even better.

Please note, technical jargon

The regulations clearly state: “The thickness of the handrail, measured perpendicular to the underside, must be ten millimeters plus or minus 0.2 millimeters and must be uniform when new. Due to wear and tear, a minimum thickness of nine millimeters is accepted and the edges of the provided holes are checked to ensure that these regulations are met.”

To most fans, this is technical jargon. But the teams must know exactly the FIA ​​rulebook, which contains more than 100 pages. Otherwise …

Source : Blick