Lewis Hamilton's F1 title hopes on hold as stewards adjourn Mercedes hearing

Lewis Hamilton

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Hamilton's F1 title hopes on hold as stewards adjourn Mercedes hearing

Mercedes was investigated for a DRS infringement on Hamilton's car

Ian Parkes

Saturday 13 November 2021 02:00 Updated: 02:10

Lewis Hamilton's hopes of securing a record-breaking eighth F1 title this season are on hold after the São Paulo GP stewards adjourned a hearing until Saturday relating to a technical infringement with his car.

After Hamilton had comfortably secured the top spot on the grid for Saturday's sprint, the DRS on his W12 was seemingly found to break the rules.

A report by technical delegate Jo Bauer found that the DRS, once opened, was more than the permitted 85mm as prescribed by the technical regulations.

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However, further evidence is now being sought that will not be available until the morning local time.

An update from the stewards read: "The stewards hereby order the technical delegate to supervise the removal of the rear wing assembly of Car 44, and to impound this part under seal.

"Further, the technical delegate is to supervise the transition of Car 44 into overnight conditions, permitting only those actions needed to store the car."

The outcome of the hearing will have a major impact on the destiny of this season's championship.

Should the DRS be found to be illegal, Hamilton would be disqualified and face a pit lane start for the sprint.

Regardless of any positions he was able to make up in that race, he would then face a five-place grid penalty for the grand prix following another change of the internal combustion engine this season.

That would almost certainly pitch Hamilton towards the rear of the grid again on Sunday and a scramble to then get into the points.

As F1 title rival Max Verstappen would take up the spot on the grid for the sprint, it would leave him on course to collect a significant points haul this weekend, barring an accident or a technical failure.

Already holding a 19-point cushion heading into the weekend, Verstappen would be expected to significantly stretch his advantage over Hamilton going into the final trio of races in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, and with just 78 points available.