‘They got away with it’: Hamilton breaks silence over F1 rules drama with wild claim — Pit Talk

Lewis Hamilton responded to his US Grand Prix disqualification on Friday (AEDT) by declaring that “several sources” confirmed that other cars were also running illegal setups.

Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were both booted from the race classifications after a random inspection that found their Mercedes and Ferrari vehicles respectively had illegal floor planks.

Only four planks were measured after the race, with Hamilton and Leclerc’s cars found to be breaching regulations.

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Hamilton has now broken his silence on the ruling, saying he was “devastated” to learn that he had lost his second-place finish behind Red Bull champion Max Verstappen.

Asked for his thoughts on no more than four cars being tested, Hamilton didn’t hold back.

“Firstly I’ve heard from several different sources that there were a lot of other cars that were also illegal,” he said.

“But they weren’t tested, so they got away with it. I’ve been racing here 16 years, there’s been times where there’s been many other scenarios like this where some people got away with certain things, and some people have just been unlucky they got tested.

“So I think ultimately there probably needs to be some sort of better structure in terms of making sure it’s fair and even across the board.”

Hamilton also denied that any illegal set-up was responsible for Mercedes being more competitive at the Circuit of the Americas.

“It was just an unfortunate scenario. 0.05 (mm) failure on the rear skid, it’s not going to make the difference between winning and losing. So that error wasn’t the reason that we were as fast as were,” he said.

Hamilton added: “But anyways, we’re hopeful that the performance will continue this weekend. And yeah, just making sure that guys don’t overreact. I think we’ll be fine.”

Leclerc also broke his silence, saying that the penalty came as a “complete surprise” for Ferrari.

The Monegasque, who lost his sixth-place finish, said there was zero wear on the floor plank after Friday running, which meant the team felt no need to change the car.

“Then you get to the race and obviously, things haven’t changed, but we were illegal,” he said.

“Rules are rules, and they need to be respected, so it’s not an excuse to say that on Friday we were fine. We need to look into it to try and better anticipate what is going to be the wear.”

VERSTAPPEN ASKS MEXICAN FANS TO BEHAVE AS RED BULL HIRES BODYGUARDS

Max Verstappen on Thursday called for more respectful behaviour by Formula One’s new generation of fans as he prepared for the home Grand Prix of Red Bull teammate Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez.

Verstappen was booed and fans chanted ‘Checo!’ at the last race in Texas. While Verstappen has soared to a third straight title, his teammate has been left behind.

The Mexican driver’s future with Red Bull appears under threat following a run of lacklustre form as he prepares to race before his home fans.

Red Bull said on Thursday that Verstappen, team boss Christian Horner and motorsport advisor Helmut Marko would be given bodyguards after concerns about their safety.

Perez is expected to also have a security guard among his entourage.

But Verstappen said he had received a warm welcome since arriving in Mexico and he wanted it to stay that way.

“I hope it does not only here, but in general in sport, not just our sport,” he said. “We have gained a lot of new fans in the last few years and maybe they don’t respond and react the same way, but a bit differently.”

The sport has gained exposure in North America with a Netflix series ‘Drive To Survive’, which has exposed tensions between the two Red Bull drivers.

“I think it’s good to show support for your favourite driver but you should always show respect for the others and especially on the podium and during the anthems because then it is very disrespectful in those moments.

“In general, I think we need to raise awareness not just here but in other sport too.”

Last Sunday, sections of the big crowd at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin booed and jeered while when Verstappen was introduced on the podium and during the Dutch anthem, when the chants of ‘Checo, Checo’ resonated.

Perez also appealed to his Mexican fans to set an example with good behaviour and played down his perceived rivalry with Verstappen.

“It is very important we give this message, the right message,” he said. “I know the media likes to create rivalry, but we are here in a great sport and we must show an example to younger generations.

“What happens on the track should stay on the track so that we can show an example here to the rest of the world.”

Posters encouraging race fans to be respectful line many of the streets close to the circuit declaring ‘Racespect’, a message Perez said he supported.

Local organisers also said they were strictly controlling the number of guests in the paddock during the weekend following alarming reports last year when drivers and team members were mobbed and jostled.