Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton break silence on STUNNING US Grand Prix disqualification

Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff — Photo: © LAT Images

United States Grand Prix

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Wolff and Hamilton break silence on STUNNING US Grand Prix disqualification

Mercedes and Ferrari each had a car disqualified after going through scrutineering

Cal Gaunt

Monday 23 October 2023 10:27 Updated: 14:00

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Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff have both held their hands up after the former's Mercedes was disqualified from the US Grand Prix on Sunday, several hours after the chequered flag fell.

Hamilton and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc were both disqualified from the US Grand Prix when post-race inspections revealed that the wooden planks beneath their cars did not meet the requirements.

It's not clear whether Mercedes' new floor upgrade was directly responsible for Hamilton's disqualification, but Wolff appeared to suggest that it played a part – noting that setting up a car with fresh upgrades is difficult with only one practice session on a sprint weekend.

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Hamilton had secured a strong second place before the FIA ruling came down to wipe it away, that place now going to McLaren's Lando Norris.

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Wolff: We got it wrong

Speaking to the media after the decision, Wolff admitted: "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 it on the chin, do the learning, and come back stronger next weekend."