Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff break silence on dramatic US GP disqualification

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were both disqualified hours after the US Grand Prix after failing post-FIA inspections while racing theirs suggests problems

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed his United Exclusion from the US Grand Prix does not take away from Mercedes’ strong performance in Austin.

The seven-time world champion crossed the finish line second to Max Verstappen on track. But he was later stripped of the podium and his 18 points after his Mercedes failed the FIA’s post-race technical inspection.

Hamilton was candid in his reaction to the news. “Of course it’s disappointing to be eliminated after the race, but that doesn’t take away from the progress we made this weekend,” he said.

The FIA’s checks found excessive wear to the rear skids on his Mercedes which meant the car did not comply with F1 regulations. Charles Leclerc was also disqualified after a similar problem was discovered on his Ferrari.

Team principal Toto Wolff was slightly less brief as he held his hands up and admitted the team was at fault. “Set-up choices on a sprint weekend are always a challenge with just one hour of free practice – and even more so at a bumpy circuit like COTA and running a new package.

“In the end, all of that doesn’t matter – others got it right where we got it wrong and there’s no wiggle room in the rules. We need to take responsibility, learn and come back stronger next weekend.”

The result means Lando Norris inherits second place from Hamilton, while Carlos Sainz is pushed onto the podium glory. Sergio Perez’s result improved to fourth place, significantly affecting the battle for second place in the drivers’ standings.
Hamilton would have scored 18 points if he had finished in second place, while Perez will gain 10 points in fifth. The seven-time world champion now leaves the United States empty-handed and rival Red Bull has lost two more points, the gap between them now is 39 with 4 rounds remaining

The double elimination was also a huge blow for Williams. Both of their drivers moved up in the points, helping the team consolidate seventh place in the constructors’ championship and meaning rookie Logan Sargeant finally scored his first points in F1.

“It’s unbelievable to score my first points in F1 at home after the difficult weekend I had,” said the delighted American. “I am very proud of this team and myself for the hard work and progress we have made this season.”