Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton's self-irony on social media after USA GP disqualifications

Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton’s self-irony on social media after USA GP disqualifications. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton's self-irony on social media after USA GP disqualifications.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc Disqualified for Excessive Wear
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc experienced the United States Grand Prix with contrasting emotions. The Monegasque driver from Ferrari started from pole position but lost the lead to Lando Norris in Turn 1, with Norris immediately building a gap that denied Leclerc any opportunity to counterattack using the DRS.

After relinquishing the lead at the start, Charles Leclerc began to lose ground, getting passed by both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Ferrari’s pit wall decided to follow a one-stop strategy with the driver who was higher up in the standings (Charles Leclerc, while his Maranello teammate Carlos Sainz made two stops), ultimately resulting in the Monegasque finishing in a disappointing sixth place.

On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton delivered a spirited race, concluding it less than two seconds behind the race winner, Max Verstappen. It was a missed opportunity for Mercedes and the seven-time champion since the three-pointed star’s pit wall wavered in deciding which strategy to pursue.

Both drivers were disqualified following technical inspections that revealed excessive wear of the wooden plank on the car’s floor. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton addressed this setback in unison on Instagram by posting a joint message related to the post-Sprint race press conference (in which the British driver finished second, and Charles Leclerc finished third). Their post was accompanied by the word ‘mood,’ signifying a shared sense of disappointment and disillusionment regarding their exclusion from the final classification of the United States Grand Prix.