Mercedes had no choice but to accept their fate after Formula One stewards delivered a heavy blow by disqualifying Lewis Hamilton from his second-place finish in the U.S. Grand Prix, along with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who had originally secured the sixth spot.
The governing body of Formula One, FIA, referred both drivers to the stewards' scrutiny when post-race inspections revealed violations related to the under-floor wooden planks on their cars at Austin's Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Stewards promptly imposed the standard penalty upon finding both teams in agreement that the measurements taken by the FIA were indeed accurate.
Mercedes offered an explanation for the high wear on the skid pads, attributing it to the challenging nature of the track, known for its bumps and the unique sprint format used in the race for the first time.
The format entailed a 100-kilometer (62.14-mile) race on Saturday and a mere one practice session instead of the customary three.
Mercedes Principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the difficulties of setting up the cars for a sprint weekend, especially with limited practice time at a demanding circuit like COTA.
"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," he said.
Despite the disqualifications, the race was ultimately won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, marking the 50th victory of the triple world champion's career and equaling the record of 15 wins in a single season.
Mercedes had introduced an upgraded car in Texas, and Hamilton, whose teammate George Russell advanced to fifth, showcased a more competitive performance.
Toto Wolff remained optimistic about the car's performance, saying, "We can take a lot of positives from the car performance today. 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."
As a result of the disqualifications, Carlos Sainz, Leclerc's teammate at Ferrari, was elevated to the third spot.
