Did Lewis Hamilton's penalty break a tacit agreement during technical checks?

In the wake of the shock disqualification of Lewis Hamilton at Interlagos, the team Mercedes immediately made it known that it did not intend to appeal the decision of the Interlagos commissioners. The German team wants to win on the track, and only on the track.

This does not mean, however, that the seven-time world champions have digested a verdict which sent Hamilton to the back of the grid for the 3rd Sprint of the season. Quite the contrary. The superb performance of the Briton, moved up from 20th to 5th place on Saturday afternoon, was not enough to erase the frustration of Toto wolff, still visible after the race in tight format.

The main Mercedes team explained that if the removable rear wing of the Mercedes No 44 had not passed technical checks, it was because it had been damaged during the qualifying session.

Under technical directive TD/011-19 sent to the stables on February 19, 2019, federal technical delegate Jo Bauer checks the opening of the DRS using a spherical gauge of 85 mm in diameter, i.e. the space maximum authorized according to article 3.6.1 of the technical regulations.

Using this instrument, a force equivalent to 10 N is applied to different locations on the rear wing. For the DRS to be deemed compliant, the gauge must abut the entire length of the upper flap of the aileron

« Until late in the afternoon, we thought everything would be fine because the wing was damaged, Wolff said. He had passed the test left and middle. There was just one problem on the right.

In fact, we even showed a performance deficit. We thought that the FIA, taking into account all the elements of the situation, would recognize that there was damage and that we had therefore not broken the regulations. They also admitted that there was no intention to do so on our part ».

Referring to a tacit agreement between the teams and the federal authorities, Wolff believes that the matter should not have been brought to the attention of the stewards. Instead, Mercedes should have been given the opportunity to repair its wing before the test was carried out again.

« The usual protocol would have allowed us to intervene after discovering that our fin had failed the test very marginally, we are talking about 0,2 mm, unfolded the Austrian manager. Instead, the commissioners were notified and from there, there was no turning back. They find themselves in a very delicate situation to arrive at the right verdict.

In the past, common sense prevailed and there was always a margin of tolerance. She was not selected this weekend. The regulations were scrupulously respected, to the letter. We are in a very competitive championship with different stakeholders involved. We must accept the sanction and move forward ».

Wolff also alluded to the qualifications in Mexico where we could see Red Bull patch up your rear wings with adhesive tape. The Austrian warned that Mercedes would now be on the lookout to flush out the slightest attempt at repairs made during the session.

« Something has changed in the protocol in the last 24 hours, perhaps under pressure from other stakeholders, Wolff added cryptically. If the modus operandi is different, we will keep our eyes wide open to the competition. I can tell you that we will scrutinize the slightest deviation and ask questions every time a piece of tape falls from a car.

If there was a gentleman's agreement in Formula 1 – and again, it is illusory to believe it because there is no gentleman – this era is now over. There is no longer the slightest millimeter of tolerance to repair the car. If it's broken, it's broken and you can't touch it anymore ».

Had Mercedes chosen to appeal the decision, as they had the right to do, Hamilton could have started the Sprint from pole position.

« We would have liked to be able to demonstrate the weakness of the arguments or the system, concludes Wolff. We didn't do this because we didn't want to lose all the points if there was an appeal. And then the affair would have dragged on for weeks ».

In light of Wolff's obvious frustration, we understand all the better the rather crude remarks released into Hamilton's radio after the Briton's epic comeback during the Sprint.

« Great job Lewis, you limited the damage well. Now let them all go fuck themselves! », thundered the Austrian.