A post-race infringement caused massive disappointment in the Mercedes and Ferrari camps as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the US Grand Prix. Contrastingly, Logan Sargeant had plenty to celebrate after earning his first F1 points.
An FIA technical delegate inspection after Sunday’s Grand Prix found that Leclerc and Hamilton’s skid planks were not in compliance with the regulations. As a result, this slam-dunk penalty saw both drivers disqualified from the US GP.
Hamilton had enjoyed a superb weekend before the DSQ, finishing second in both the Sprint and the GP. The Mercedes ace had also been close to catching Max Verstappen for victory, although the 2023 Champion held on to take a 50th career win.
Meanwhile, this penalty sums up Charles Leclerc’s race. Despite having started on pole, Car No.16 just went backward on Sunday. An audacious one-stop strategy did not pay off and Leclerc crossed the line in sixth. Now, though, both he and Hamilton end up with no points to show for their efforts.
But some teams and drivers benefitted from this, of course. In particular, Williams will be thrilled; these DSQs saw both their drivers move into the points.
Logan Sargeant finally earns first F1 points
After a difficult rookie campaign, Logan Sargeant is finally off the mark in his F1 career. The American shifted up to P10 following the reclassification, earning a point on home soil.
But that is not all. The first points of his career also make Logan Sargeant the first American points-scorer in F1 since Michael Andretti 30 years ago.
While historic, Sargeant’s composed, determined drive from P16 will relieve some pressure on him as well. He is currently the only driver without a confirmed seat for 2024. Although now he has some points on the board, the US youngster may feel a bit more secure in his race seat.
“It’s amazing to score my first point in F1 on home turf after the challenging weekend I’ve had,” said Sargeant, via Williams. “I’m so proud of this team and myself for the hard work and progress we’ve been making this season.”
How does the US Grand Prix top 10 look after the disqualifications?
Hamilton’s demotion from P2 saw many drivers reap the benefits. Firstly, Lando Norris enjoyed a jump from third up to second to clinch another solid weekend for McLaren. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz inherited the final podium spot.
Sergio Perez scored some crucial points over Hamilton in the race for second in the driver’s standings. He ended up fourth, with George Russell up to fifth.
With Charles Leclerc also out, Pierre Gasly rose to sixth. Lance Stroll fought back very impressively from a pit lane start to take seventh, then Yuki Tsunoda scored another great finish for AlphaTauri.
The Williams duo of Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant then took the last of the points.
United States Grand Prix – top 10:
P1 – Max Verstappen
P2 – Lando Norris
P3 – Carlos Sainz
P4 – Sergio Perez
P5 – George Russell
P6 – Pierre Gasly
P7 – Lance Stroll
P8 – Yuki Tsunoda
P9 – Alex Albon
P10 – Logan Sargeant
Featured image credit: Getty