25 October 2023 , 19:59
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Mercedes technical director James Allison has backed the team to bounce back from Lewis Hamilton's latest disqualification when the Formula 1 season heads to Mexico this weekend.
Hamilton was stripped of his second-place finish at the United States Grand Prix after FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer announced a potential issue with his car. Charles Leclerc, who finished sixth on the grid, was also disqualified after they both failed post-race floor and plank checks.
Lando Norris moved up to second, Carlos Sainz jumped on to the podium and Sergio Perez rose to fourth, while everyone below Leclerc was raised by two spots. The result damages Hamilton's chances of challenging Perez to second in the Drivers' Championships, while Leclerc is stuck down in seventh.
However, Mercedes chief Allison believes Hamilton and his team will be "pretty decent" in Mexico this weekend. "We have four quite different races coming up," Allison told their YouTube channel. "We've got Mexico first, high altitude, thin air, a track where the asphalt is quite different to the ones we've just been at.
"As long as we can keep the car cool there in the thin air of the Mexico track then I think we will be pretty decent. The corners suit us, and the pace of the car should be good."
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"Of course the disqualification is a significant blow," Allison said. "It's a miserable feeling. It hurts and everybody here feels it. Everybody is upset, embarrassed to a degree as well because we absolutely don’t like like being on the wrong side of the rules and just lamenting the lost points.
Lewis Hamilton was disqualified after the US GP (Getty Images)"Give it it a day or two and that will start to wane and be replaced by the much happier feeling which is we moved our car forward [in Austin] and that’s hard to do. But we did it and we did it by a decent amount. And with four races left in the championship, four races where I am sure we will stay on the right side of the skid block rules.
"The initial feeling hurt, disappointment and frustration will pass to be replaced by the sunny optimism of knowing that the car looked bright on this upgrade package and we’ve got four more races to show what we can do with it."
Hamilton and Mercedes have the Mexican GP to look forward to this weekend, with practice starting on Friday at 7:30pm, while the race itself is at 8pm on Sunday. The Brazil Grand Prix is set to follow, before the third US Grand Prix of the season, while the United Arab Emirates Grand Prix will end the campaign.