F1 pundit points out one factor that could have caused Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's disqualification in Austin

F1 pundit Peter Windsor mentioned that Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's extended first stints might have played a role in their disqualification from the 2023 US GP in Austin last Sunday.

Hamilton and Leclerc were disqualified from the race after the FIA found that their planks under the car were more worn than allowed in the regulations. In his Live Stream on YouTube, Windsor pointed out that both drivers had longer first stints than the rest of the grid as they were contemplating a one-stop race.

Windsor explained that the skid pads were more susceptible to wear in the first stint as the cars are heavily fued. He said:

“I would like to point out one thing that I think is significant in all of this, and that is the length of the stints – particularly the first – when the cars are full of fuel and at their heaviest, and at their most prone to do damage to the skid pads. So stint one is a really important phase of the race if you’re going to be right on the edge of legality with the skid pads."

He added:

“Charles Leclerc did 23 laps on his first set of tires with that off the line, with a heavy load of fuel. Daniel Ricardo, also on a one-stop strategy (originally), 22 laps. Lewis Hamilton, they kept him out for a long time, 20 laps, even though he was on a two-stop strategy and that was to try to get his offset when he’d be in good shape at the end of the race on the medium."

Mercedes accepts "mistake" after Lewis Hamilton's disqualification

Mercedes Technical Director James Allison claimed that Lewis Hamilton's DQ was "significant" in terms of points lost and everyone in the team was upset with the outcome.

In the team's debrief video, Allison said:

"It's of course a mistake, it's an understandable sort of mistake in a sprint weekend where it's so much harder to get that stuff right, especially on a bumpy track. But a lesson for us in the future to make sure that we take more margin, especially at a track like that with all its bumps."

It will be fascinating to see if Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton bounce back in the remaining races and if they can challenge Red Bull for a race win, given that the next couple of tracks might not suit the RB19 perfectly.