The evening was eventful on the Interlagos circuit. Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who dominated qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race on Friday 12 November, is under investigation by the race marshals to determine if his car complies with the regulations. His great rival, Max Verstappen, at the top of the drivers’ standings, will also be summoned in this case by the race stewards, Saturday, November 13 in Sao Paulo.
It is more precisely Lewis Hamilton’s DRS (the flap mounted on the rear wing of his single-seater which deploys to gain top speed) which is in question. Technical delegate Jo Bauer noticed that the upper flap of the Mercedes’ DRS opened more than the regulations allow. The hearing having been adjourned Friday evening, a decision will be taken on Saturday, also pending “removing the rear wing from (Hamilton’s) car and sealing that part”.
Lewis Hamilton has been summoned to the stewards over DRS technical infringement #BrazilGP # F1 https://t.co/DNTsxZVLwD
– Formula 1 (@ F1) November 12, 2021
If the marshals judge his car to be non-regulatory, the seven-time world champion risks disqualification and therefore a start from the back of the grid during the qualifying sprint race on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (French time) on the Interlagos circuit.
It would be a blow in his quest for an eighth world crown and a double penalty, already penalized by five places on the starting grid of the GP on Sunday November 14 for an engine change beyond the quota authorized per season. Hamilton is 19 points behind Max Verstappen with four races to go in the championship and it is imperative that he prevent the Dutchman from widening the gap in the drivers’ standings beyond the 25 point mark, which would put him in the shelter from abandonment.
Finishing behind the Briton in qualifying, Max Verstappen would therefore inherit first place on the grid on Saturday and an advantage for pole on Sunday. However, nothing is done since the Dutch driver will also have to explain himself on images showing him approaching and possibly touching the rear wing of the Hamilton car after qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix the day before. His convocation relates to a possible violation of article 2.5.1 of the Sports Code of the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
This states that“inside the Parc Fermé [où les voitures sont garées après les qualifications], access is only allowed to assigned officials. Any operation, verification, preparation or repair is prohibited, unless authorized by the aforementioned officials or by the applicable regulations “. Verstappen could now also be penalized in Sao Paulo.
UPDATE: No decision will be made until Saturday morning
Max Verstappen is also summoned to the stewards at 0930 local time#BrazilGP # F1 https://t.co/PotDir2Qwc
– Formula 1 (@ F1) November 13, 2021
In the drivers’ standings, the Dutchman from Red Bull is 19 points ahead of his British rival four rounds from the end of the season. The seven-time world champion must therefore prevent him from widening the gap beyond the 25-point mark, which would protect Verstappen from retirement.
The Brazilian GP, absent from the 2020 calendar due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is the third and last in 2021 to offer this new qualifying sprint race format on Saturday. Barely more than 100 km long (24 laps) completed in around 30 minutes, it determines the starting grid for the GP the next day and also offers some points in the championship, from 3 in the first to 1 in the second. Next year, we should have six out of 23 race weekends.