“There’s Really No Wiggle Room”: Ex-Red Bull Engineer Defends FIA Against Lewis Hamilton Fans’ Criticism

Lewis Hamilton experienced a roller-coaster weekend at the Chinese GP. He secured the sprint pole and won the race, but struggled in Sunday’s Grand Prix. To make matters worse, the FIA disqualified him for excessive plank wear on his SF25.

Once the decision was made public, backlash erupted on social media. Many Hamilton fans believed the FIA had once again—he’s no stranger to their controversial rulings—acted unfairly against their beloved seven-time world champion.

Although Charles Leclerc was also disqualified for his car being 1 kg under the revised 800 kg minimum limit, Hamilton’s DQ sparked greater outrage. Fans questioned why only his plank was inspected, making him the sole driver penalized for excessive wear.

However, former Red Bull engineer Calum Nicholas clarified that the FIA has zero tolerance for certain benchmark limits of the car, with the weight limit and plank thickness falling under those regulations.

“The margins on plank wear are tiny. But they’re also one of the things, like weight, that the FIA are zero tolerance on,” Nicholas wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

He also noted that the governing body allows teams to rectify certain “odd bits” on their cars over the season. However, when it comes to aspects like plank thickness, “there’s no wiggle room.”

When a fan asked why Hamilton’s car wasn’t initially listed in the FIA’s investigation document—a detail that also sparked outrage—he shared his perspective on how post-race checks work.

“Some cars are chosen randomly for other checks. What happens though, is that if one car is found to be illegal, they’ll often then choose to inspect the second car of that team, even if it wasn’t originally planned,” he wrote.

According to Nicholas’ theory, it’s possible that Hamilton’s car was investigated only after Leclerc’s car was found to be under the minimum weight limit. However, since the #44 car was disqualified for a different rule breach, some continue to question why Hamilton was the only driver scrutinized for plank wear.

Nicholas added that if Leclerc’s car had passed the weight check, Hamilton might have gotten away with the 0.5 mm of wear on his plank, which is required to maintain a minimum thickness of 9 mm at all times. Since the Chinese GP was a sprint event, the #44 car likely experienced excessive plank wear due to the additional competitive sessions – something Sky Sports’ Craig Slater explained in a segment.

However, the FIA strictly monitors plank thickness, as running cars lower to the ground with thinner planks could provide teams with a slight aerodynamic advantage.