For the first time since, maybe, the Hungarian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton looked competitive enough to clinch a race victory at the US Grand Prix. The Briton challenged a visibly resilient Max Verstappen for what could’ve been his first victory in almost two years. And of course, the entire Mercedes crew kept their heads held high as Hamilton raced to the chequered flag in P2, and surprisingly enough, just over a second behind Verstappen.
Hence, it almost seemed like the future was finally set to get better for the seven-time world champion amidst numerous positives to take from the weekend. Many even wondered, what could go wrong from here. Well, the FIA had a response to such highly optimistic Hamilton and Mercedes fans. Barely an hour after the race, Hamilton’s W14 was one of the four cars to undergo random inspection.
And unfortunately, the W14, which guided Hamilton to an astounding P2, failed to comply with the FIA’s technical regulations. Meaning, that the plank underneath the car had worn out beyond the FIA’s prescribed limit, likely to have been caused by excessive scrubbing with the bumpy tarmac at COTA. But, one can’t just blame the circuit and the car, as the fingers primarily point to the Mercedes crew and their negligence.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been disqualified from the #USGP after their cars failed a post-race tech inspection ❌#F1 pic.twitter.com/swApVxRKCz
— Autosport (@autosport) October 23, 2023
Following the hearing, the FIA revealed that the Mercedes representatives acknowledged their mistake and even blamed themselves for failing to set the car up for the main race. But, is Hamilton going to do the same and assign the blame on Mercedes? Absolutely not! Despite suffering one of the biggest heartbreaks of this season, Hamilton maintained a positive mindset.
How did Lewis Hamilton react to disqualification from the US Grand Prix?
Any driver would’ve lashed out at the FIA’s ruling or even fired shots at their own team for committing such an expensive error. But, Hamilton isn’t prepared to kill the morale that has been on the rise within Mercedes in recent months. Therefore, the Briton hailed Mercedes’ performance on the whole and is already looking forward to the weekend in Mexico this weekend.
“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,” he said after hearing of his disqualification.
#USGP 🇺🇸: Lewis Hamilton on his DSQ: “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.”
— deni (@fiagirly) October 23, 2023
Overall, it’s quite impressive how Hamilton is entirely focused on the bigger picture and isn’t too distracted by the shenanigans unfolding around him. Hence, will the record-equaling world champion’s insane patience be rewarded with an eighth world championship title next season?
