Hamilton and Leclerc post same cryptic message after disqualification drama
Hamilton and Leclerc post same cryptic message after disqualification drama
After being disqualified from the United States Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both shared a cryptic message on their Instagram accounts.
Hamilton lost his second-place finish due to his Mercedes car failing a physical inspection for floor and plank wear after the race.
Similarly, Ferrari's Leclerc was penalised for the same issue, after his sixth-place finish in Austin..
Both their cars' skids had worn away, causing them to fall outside Formula 1 regulations.
Consequently, McLaren's Lando Norris secured the second spot on the podium, with Max Verstappen the winner, and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz taking third place.
Dour mood
In response to the FIA's statement, both seven-time world champion Hamilton and his rival Leclerc shared an Instagram post featuring a picture of them looking glum during a press conference.
The caption for the post was straightforward and read: "Mood."
After the announcement, both Hamilton and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff spoke out and expressed their disappointment.
"It is of course disappointing to be disqualified post-race but that doesn't take away from the progress we've made this weekend," Hamilton said.
"Set-up choices on a sprint weekend are always a challenge with just one hour of free practice," Wolff added.
"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."
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes' engineering director, was similarly dismayed but believed there were positives to take away from Austin.
"We are, of course, naturally very disappointed to lose our podium finish," he admitted. "Unfortunately, it is one of the pitfalls of the sprint format where we have a solitary hour of running before parc ferme.
"Without running at a race fuel load in FP1, combined with a circuit as bumpy as this and the parts of the track where the drivers have to put the car during the Grand Prix, have contributed to the higher than expected wear levels.
"We will go away and learn from this but also take the positives from our experience as a whole."
READ MORE: Why USGP was Lewis Hamilton's 'Michael Schumacher' moment
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
McLaren boss keen for stunning Alonso REUNION
- 38 minutes ago
Schumacher BLAMES Horner for Red Bull's Newey nightmare
- 1 hour ago
Hamilton in Ferrari F1 SHOCK after team snub revealed
- 2 hours ago
Newey set for CRUCIAL meeting over Red Bull future
- 3 hours ago
F1 News Today: ‘Absolute b******s’ Newey claims slammed as Norris INJURED while partying
- Today 05:57
Hamilton hit with SURPRISE Ferrari claim as new Cullen relationship blossoms - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Related news
Hamilton in Ferrari F1 SHOCK after team snub revealed
Hamilton in Arsenal title wish after STUNNING revelation
Cullen relationship blossoms with new star after moving on from Hamilton
Incredible statistic puts Verstappen AHEAD of Hamilton record
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860