Hamilton and Leclerc Disqualified from US Grand Prix 

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) speaks with Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc after the Sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 21, 2023 ahead of the United States Formula One Grand Prix. (AFP)
Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) speaks with Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc after the Sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 21, 2023 ahead of the United States Formula One Grand Prix. (AFP)
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Hamilton and Leclerc Disqualified from US Grand Prix 

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) speaks with Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc after the Sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 21, 2023 ahead of the United States Formula One Grand Prix. (AFP)
Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) speaks with Ferrari's Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc after the Sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on October 21, 2023 ahead of the United States Formula One Grand Prix. (AFP)

Mercedes accepted their punishment after Formula One stewards disqualified Lewis Hamilton from second place in Sunday's US Grand Prix along with sixth-placed Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

The governing FIA had reported both drivers to stewards after their cars failed post-race checks on the under-floor wooden planks at Austin's Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

Stewards imposed the standard penalty after both teams acknowledged the measurements carried out by the FIA were correct.

Mercedes had stated that the high wear on the skid pads was probably due to the bumpy track and the race being run to a sprint format for the first time.

That meant a 100km race on Saturday and only one practice session instead of the usual three.

"Set-up choices on a sprint weekend are always a challenge with just one hour of free practice, and even more so at a bumpy circuit like COTA and running a new package," said Mercedes principal Toto Wolff.

"In the end, all of that doesn't matter; others got it right where we got it wrong and there's no wiggle room in the rules.

"We need to take it on the chin, do the learning, and come back stronger next weekend."

The race was won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, the 50th victory of the triple world champion's career and record-equaling 15 of the season.

Mercedes had brought an upgraded car to Texas and Hamilton, whose teammate George Russell moved up to fifth, had looked more competitive.

"We can take a lot of positives from the car performance today," said Wolff.

"This is a circuit where only a few races ago we wouldn't have performed well because of the fast, sweeping corners. The upgrade seems to have made the car happier in those areas and it is working well. Directionally, it's a very good sign."

The disqualifications meant Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz moved up to third.



Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2025: Ibn Seaidan Takes 1st in 'Challenger' Class, Al-Rajhi Maintains 2nd in Overall Rankings

Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA
Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA
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Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia 2025: Ibn Seaidan Takes 1st in 'Challenger' Class, Al-Rajhi Maintains 2nd in Overall Rankings

Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA
Competitors embarked on a journey from AlUla to Hail on Thursday. SPA

The fifth stage of the sixth annual Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia launched on Thursday, with competitors embarking on a journey from AlUla to Hail, covering a total distance of 492 km, including 428 km of timed special stages.

In the car category, American Seth Quintero of the "Toyota Gazoo" team claimed first place, completing the distance in 4 hours, 32 minutes, and 53 seconds. He narrowly edged out five-time champion Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah of the "Dacia Sandrider" team by just one second. Swedish driver Mattias Ekström of the "Ford Motorsport" team secured third place, only 8 seconds behind the leader.

South African Henk Lategan of "Toyota Gazoo" retained his lead in the overall car category standings, followed by Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al-Rajhi of the "Overdrive" team, who held onto second place despite finishing fifth in this stage. Swedish driver Mattias Ekström maintained third place, while Al-Attiyah climbed to fourth.

In the motorcycle category, Uruguayan Luciano Benavides on the "Red Bull KTM" team excelled, finishing the stage in 4 hours and 53 minutes. He beat Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren of the "Monster Energy Honda HRC" team by 47 seconds, with Chilean rider José Ignacio Cornejo Florimo of "Hero Motorsports" finishing third, 1 minute and 31 seconds behind the leader.

In the lightweight "Challenger" vehicles category, Saudi driver Yasir ibn Seaidan of the "BBR" team secured first place in the fifth stage with a time of 4 hours, 51 minutes, and 27 seconds. "Rebellion & Spierings" Dutch driver Paul Spierings finished second, 8 minutes and 22 seconds behind, while Qatari driver Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari of the "Nasser Racing" team came third, 8 minutes and 52 seconds behind the leader.

In the "SSV" lightweight vehicles category, Chilean Francisco Lopez Contardo of the "Can-Am Factory" team claimed first place with a time of 5 hours, 2 minutes, and 26 seconds. American Brock Heger of the "Sebastien Loeb Racing" team finished second, 20 minutes and 48 seconds behind, followed closely by his teammate, Frenchman Xavier de Soultrait, 20 minutes and 51 seconds behind the leader.

In the truck category, Czech driver Martin Macík of the "MM Technology" team finished first with a time of 5 hours, 1 minute, and 53 seconds, followed by teammate Dutchman Kees Koolen, 18 minutes and 42 seconds behind, while Dutchman Mitchel van den Brink of the "Eurol Rally Sport" team claimed third place, 39 minutes and 37 seconds behind the leader.
The Dakar Rally Saudi Arabia will pause tomorrow for a rest day, allowing competitors to recover. The rally will resume on Saturday with the sixth stage, covering a route from Hail to Dawadmi, spanning 829 km, including 605 km of timed special stages.