Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in confusing joint message after US GP disqualification

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc were both disqualified from the US Grand Prix after Sunday’s race, each car from they both broke Formula 1 regulations
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc posted similar cryptic messages on Instagram after they were both disqualified from the US Grand Prix.

Hamilton lost second place when his Mercedes failed a field test for floor and floorboard wear after Sunday’s race. Meanwhile, Ferrari driver Leclerc was also convicted of the same crime, after finishing sixth in Austin.

The pads under each of their cars were worn out, meaning they no longer complied with Formula 1 regulations. As a result, McLaren star Lando Norris took second place on the podium glory behind winner Max Verstappen, while the remaining Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, rounded out the podium in third place.

Reacting to the FIA’s statement with a post shared on Instagram, seven-time world champion Hamilton and rival Leclerc posted an image of themselves sitting at a press conference, looking somber. The caption simply reads:
“Mood”.

In Mercedes’ press release following the FIA ​​announcement, Hamilton added:
“Of course it is disappointing to be eliminated after the race but that does not take away from the progress we have made on this weekend.”

Team principal Toto Wolff explains:
“Setup choices during a sprint weekend are always a challenge with just an hour of free practice – and even more so on a track as bumpy as COTA and with the new package.

“In the end, all this didn’t matter; everyone else got right where we were wrong and there was no room for change in the rules. We have to take responsibility, learn and come back stronger next weekend. lose our podium. Unfortunately, this is one of the pitfalls of the sprint format when you have a solitary hour of racing before parc ferme.
“The lack of running on race fuel in FP1, combined with bumpy tracks like this and the sections of track where drivers have to park their cars during the Grand Prix, contributed to higher than expected consumption levels . We will stop and learn from it, but also take the positives out of our overall experience.
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F1 will then head to Mexico City for this Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix. The teams will then head to Brazil for the final sprint weekend, then return to the United States for the Las Vegas night racing before the end of the 2023 campaign in Abu Dhabi.