F1 News: Former Driver Claims Austin GP Disqualifications "Warranted" Re-Evaluation

Karun Chandhok has called for the FIA to conduct more thorough checks in instances of post-race disqualifications.

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 reporter Karun Chandhok shared his perspective on the recent disqualifications of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the United States Grand Prix, suggesting a more extensive investigation by the FIA. The drivers faced exclusion from the race results in Austin after excessive wear was found on their skid blocks, leading Chandhok to believe that more cars should have undergone checks.

Key Takeaways:

• Chandhok argues for the FIA to extend their post-race investigations to include the teammates of disqualified drivers, considering the likelihood of similar car setups.
• He suggests the possibility of checking all 20 cars on the grid as a one-off exception, even if it delays the final race results until the following day.
• Chandhok highlights that the situation in Austin was unprecedented in 29 years of F1 racing, justifying the need for a comprehensive check to maintain the sport's integrity.

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Chandhok, who serves as a regular pundit for Sky Sports F1, expressed his belief that Hamilton and Leclerc were somewhat singled out during the FIA's post-race checks in Austin. He noted that since only two of four cars were checked after the race, it raised questions about fairness and consistency in the FIA's scrutiny.

“If you find two cars that are illegal, you should automatically check their team-mates because there’s a good chance that they have very similar setups, so I think that’s something that’s worth thinking about for the future."

Chandhok emphasised the importance of ensuring all cars comply with regulations but acknowledged the time-consuming nature of plank checks, which take approximately half an hour per car. 

“Every time you do a plank check, it takes half an hour.

“So, if you have to check all 20 cars, that’s five hours, then the results have to be checked by the stewards, then eventually the results will come out.

“So, there’s a question of do we want a situation where the results are declared seven hours after the grand prix.

“We don’t want that on every occasion, but what happened in Austin hasn’t happened in 29 years so actually on that occasion, I think it warranted it, and I wouldn’t have minded waiting till Monday for the official results if I knew that all 20 cars were checked.”