Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Looking at the winners and losers from the United States Grand Prix
Shortly after the podium celebration came to a close, yet while the champagne was still flowing, the report came.
A post-race examination had found that the planks on Lewis Hamilton’s car, as well as Charles Leclerc’s car, were not in compliance with Formula 1’s Technical Regulations.
With both teams referred to race stewards, potential violations hung in the balance. Violations which could dramatically alter the points secured in the United States Grand Prix, and change the trajectory in both the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship between those two teams, as well as Hamilton’s pursuit of Sergio Pérez for second place in the Drivers’ Championship.
Eventually the verdict was handed down, and both drivers were disqualified.
That meant Hamilton’s second-place finish — on a day where he could have caught Max Verstappen if he had a few more laps — was erased. It also meant that Leclerc’s sixth-place finish was no more as well.
The rule in question? Article 3.5.9(e) of the Technical Regulations. Specifically, race officials found that the “rear skid area” on both vehicles was outside the thresholds allowed for in the regulations. According to that section, the wooden plank on the floor of the car has to be a certain size:
The thickness of the plank assembly measured normal to the lower surface must be 10mm ± 0.2mm and must be uniform when new. A minimum thickness of 9mm will be accepted due to wear, and conformity to this provision will be checked at the peripheries of the designated holes.
Both teams conceded that the measurement performed by the FIA Technical Team was “correct,” and stated that the high wear on the plank assemble 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.”
However, race officials noted that the “onus is on the competitor to ensure that the car is in compliance with the regulations at all times during an event.”
Since both cars were in violation, the stewards imposed the “standard penalty for a breach of the Technical Regulations.”
Disqualification.
This is certainly a bitter pill for both teams and drivers to swallow, but perhaps more for Hamilton than anyone else. The seven-time World Champion now sees a second-place finish erased, and instead of closing the gap to Pérez, he now falls further behind the Red Bull driver in their fight for second place in the Drivers’ Championship.
Losing on the track is one thing.
Losing during the celebration is another.
Hamilton put a positive spin on the situation in the team’s post-race media report. “Overall, we still didn’t perform optimally today,” said Hamilton. “We had good pace and I was feeling great in the car. It was tough racing those around me as they were so quick, but we can be happy with many things.
“I feel positive as we’re moving forward, even if reflecting on it we could have possibly won today. It is of course disappointing to be disqualified post-race but that doesn’t take away from the progress we’ve made this weekend.”
Still, if he ends up falling short of Pérez, this is going to sting.
Winner: Yuki Tsunoda
Even before the dual disqualification, Yuki Tsunoda was one of the day’s winners.
The AlphaTauri driver found his way into the points for just the fourth time this season, crossing the line tenth. But the team made the bold decision to bolt on a set of soft tyres right at the end of the Grand Prix, so Tsunoda managed to post the fastest lap of the race in the closing stages, picking up a bonus point along the way.
But the, the dual disqualification bumped Tsunoda up even more, turning a tenth-place finish into an eighth-place finish. Along with the bonus point, that means Tsunoda picked up five points on the afternoon, his best single-race total of the season, and his best result since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last year.
Winners: McLaren
Coming into the United States Grand Prix, it seemed like it was just a matter of time before McLaren would catch Aston Martin in their battle for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Well, that time has come.
Thanks to Lando Norris’ podium finish (Norris finished third before being elevated to second place following Hamilton’s disqualification) as well as the results from the F1 Sprint race on Saturday, McLaren has now pulled ahead of Aston Martin in that fight. They entered the week 11 points behind Aston Martin, but now they leave Austin with 242 points on the season, six points clear of their competition for that spot.
It was not a perfect Sunday for McLaren, as an early-lap collision between Oscar Piastri and Esteban Ocon forced the rookie driver to retire after just five laps. Still, it has been a stunning charge from the team. Again, McLaren was in sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship following the Canadian Grand Prix, with 17 points on the season which put them 27 points behind Alpine for fifth place.
Since the next race, the Austrian Grand Prix, McLaren has scored 222 points, behind only Red Bull during that stretch.
Losers: Aston Martin
This was a tough weekend for Aston Martin.
The team brought some upgrades for the AMR23 to Austin, but neither Lance Stroll nor Fernando Alonso could find the groove with the upgrades, and they struggled in qualifying for the Grand Prix on Friday.
Both drivers then struggled in the F1 Sprint Shootout, and F1 Sprint race, on Saturday.
That led to the team making some changes overnight, forcing both drivers to start from pit lane. Even that did not come off without a hitch, as Stroll took his place on the grid and needed to be pushed back to pit lane for the start.
Stroll and Alonso both managed to put themselves in position for points, but Alonso ended up having to retire his car after 49 laps.
It was not all bad for the team, as Stroll managed to stay in the points and, thanks to the double disqualification, ended up finishing seventh. But when you look at the big picture, Aston Martin has now slid down to fifth place in the Constructors’ Standings. At one point this season there was talk of them fending off Mercedes and Ferrari for second place.
Now they’re looking up at McLaren, and at this rate they might need something unexpected to happen for them to get back in that fight.
Winners: Williams
The disqualifications for Hamilton and Leclerc dropped two drivers out of the top ten, opening the door for two drivers to crash the points party.
And wouldn’t you know it, it was the Williams duo of Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant.
Albon had finished the Grand Prix in P11, with Sargeant right behind him in P12, which for the rookie driver would have represented one of hte best finishes of his F1 career, behind only his P11 at the British Grand Prix.
But with the two disqualifications Albon now finds himself with a P9 finish, and Sargeant gets bumped up to P10, securing the first point of his F1 career.
It also marks the first point scored by an American driver in an F1 race since 1993:
The adjustment could not have come at a better time for Sargeant, who remains the only driver currently on the grid having yet to lock down his seat for 2024. Williams Team Principal James Vowles has stated in recent weeks that the rookie had certain benchmarks he needed to hit to solidify his status, and Sargeant’s 12th-place finish may have satisfied those conditions anyway.
But earning his first F1 points will certainly improve his chances.
As for the team, Williams not extends their lead over Alfa Romeo and Haas in the three-way battle for seventh place in the Constructors’ Standings. They now have 26 points on the season, 10 points ahead of Alfa Romeo and 14 points ahead of Haas.
“It’s amazing to score my first point in F1 on home turf after the challenging weekend I’ve had. I’m so proud of this team and myself for the hard work and progress we’ve been making this season,” said Sargeant.
Albon also marked the accomplishment in the team’s media debrief.
“I’m very happy for the team and especially Logan for scoring points today.”
