So far, every race weekend which has featured a sprint race has brought immense drama involving the two championship rivals.
Lewis Hamilton looked strong on Friday in Brazil. The new ICE fitted to his car helped him storm to the top of the speed charts in FP1, Q1, Q2, and Q3 as well. The same ICE is also why he will be facing a five-place grid penalty on Sunday.
However, the ICE-related grid penalty is the least of the concerns for the seven-time world champion. Questions were raised over the legality of the rear wing of Lewis’ car when DRS is opened. According to the regulations, the gap which is created by the opening of the Drag Reduction System is not supposed to be more than 85mm.
The British driver had been summoned to by the stewards, where he stayed for a considerably long time. An amateur video shows the car being scrutinised by the stewards, checking the legality of the rear wing.
If the rear wing on the Mercedes is deemed illegal by the stewards, Hamilton might start the sprint race from the pit lane. This could deliver a severe blow to the defending champion’s bid for a historic 8th world title.
In the video, the stewards can pass an 85mm ring through the open flaps with the activated DRS. If the ring passes the flap, it is deemed illegal and vice versa. In this case, the video shows the ring passing through the flaps.
To further understand how the test is conducted, watch this video by Aston Martin’s Official Youtube channel, which explains the test which determines what rear wings are legal and which aren’t.
So far, the FIA haven’t come out with their decision yet. They determined that the decision would not come before Saturday morning, local time. The FIA has been presented with a different angle to look at.
Max Verstappen also summoned by the stewards
Another video surfaced online, which showed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen inspecting the Mercedes rear wing after qualifying. He first spent a reasonable amount of time looking at his own car’s rear wing. He then proceeded to head over to Hamilton’s Mercedes and look at it carefully.
However, he got called to the stewards because while inspecting the Mercedes rear wing, Verstappen appears to touch it as well lightly.
This is reportedly against the FIA’s regulations which is why he and a team representative will meet the stewards at 9:30 am local time.
Could this development be the reason why the stewards have been unable to decide what to do about Hamilton’s supposedly illegal rear wing? One can only wait and find out.
Also read: George Russell reveals when he will start working with his new team
