Lewis Hamilton won the time trial training for the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with a more serious advantage over Max Verstappen. However, the British may not yet be able to start the sprint from the edge.
During the post-qualification inspection, the experts of the International Automobile Association found an irregularity in the rear wing: the battery was found to be larger than required, which could be an advantage for Hamilton, as the car has less air resistance and a speed advantage.
Scrutineers fitting a 85mm circle through the rear wing opening proving that the rear wing was indeed illegal. Decision is yet to be heard. #LewisHamilton #BrazilGP #BrazilianGP pic.twitter.com/oLzYJ0l5De
– month.ada06 (@ Ada06Mese) November 13, 2021
In all such cases, the usual procedure is exclusion, which in Hamilton’s case would mean that you could start your sprint qualification not from the edge but from the pit lane. FIA experts also investigated the case according to its order and manner, but no decision was made after a long time.
While waiting, another piece of news about Mercedes began to spread on social media: Adrian Newey of Red Bull allegedly met with FIA men in the early hours of the time trial to discuss whether the championship defending team might be using more flexible back wings than required by the rules. So the two are different.
Presumably, the idea may have been in the mind of Verstappen, who grabbed the back wing of the Red Bull and then the Mercedes after being knocked down – all this was captured by a spectator with his camera from the stands, and the shot was taken to the wing.
I caught Max checking the wings at the end of Qualy. pic.twitter.com/QY8gr66ujO
— Frederico Monteiro (@frd182) November 12, 2021
The two cases meet here: since the cars are already under parc fermé rules at the time, meaning they should not even be touched, an investigation has been launched against Verstappen. And in Hamilton’s DRS case, Mercedes could argue that Verstappen’s possible arrival at the car could have triggered something that caused them not to comply with the rules – albeit with little chance of doing so.
Decisions were postponed to Saturday morning local time. Verstappen is due to appear before the stewards at 1.30 pm Hungarian time, and we are constantly reporting on the latest news in the Lead!
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