Amid Lewis Hamilton’s $285 Million Claim Against FIA, 29 YO Michael Schumacher History Rubbed in Mercedes Ace’s Wounds

When Michael Schumacher laid down his racing gloves for the final time in 2012, he was touted by many to be the greatest of all time, a driver unlike any other, unmatchable. Whilst there’s no doubt that the German with 7 world titles will go down in F1’s hall of fame, there has been one driver who’s come close to matching Schumacher. The German was joined by Hamilton as a seven-time world champion in 2020. However, Lewis Hamilton‘s US GP disqualification has resulted in comparisons being made with Schumacher’s 1994 Belgian GP exit, which the Brit would not be pleased about.

The energy in the Mercedes camp was at an all-time high come race-day at the United States GP. The sprint race had paid dividends for the Brackley outfit, with Hamilton finishing second behind Max Verstappen. Ironically, the sprint setup ended up costing them the race, when the FIA disqualified Hamilton and Leclerc for failing to comply with technical directives related to the wear of the skid-box, also known as the floor plank. The seven-time champion went on to show his frustration by saying how he would bet all his money i.e. his net worth of $285 million on half of the cars on the grid failing such a technical check.

Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton are hit with ‘unusual’ Déjà Vu after disqualification at US GP

The FIA technical delegates reported that the wear on Hamilton and Leclerc’s cars exceeded the 1mm mark permitted by the directives, which meant that disqualification was inevitable. During Practice 1 at the Mexican GP, the F1TV commentator, Alex Jacques, reflected on the last time there was a disqualification related to the plank wear, pointing out that, oddly enough, it was a different seven-time world champion last time around.

He recollected, “I think I’m right in saying this but I can’t remember a car being disqualified for plank wear, since Michael Schumacher at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1994. I think it’s a really long time, had it in Formula 2, had it in Formula 3, I can’t remember it happening in Formula 1 for very nearly thirty years, so an unusual thing to happen, it was two cars! 

Michael Schumacher was aiming to seal the 1994 title in fashion after a dominant performance at the Belgian Grand Prix, winning the race with a 13-second lead over Damon Hill. However, his race would unfold similarly to Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification at the 2023 US GP.

READ MORE: Despite Haunting DSQ, Lewis Hamilton Reveals “Double Knock-on Effect” That Made The US GP Worthwhile

Shortly after the race, Schumacher’s Benetton skid-block was found to have too much wear, which the FIA deemed an illegal advantage. Meaning that Schumacher’s championship was still not sealed. He would go on to clinch the title controversially after he and Hill both retired.

How similar were the 1994 and 2023 incidents?

1994 was a dark year for the sport, we lost one of the greatest drivers to have ever raced, Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian sensation tragically passed away after sustaining head injuries, after a faulty steering column sent his uncontrollable Williams FW16 straight into a concrete barrier.

The grid was still mourning the death of fellow driver Roland Ratzenberger, this was another major loss caused by preventable failures. This is why the directive to monitor plank wear was introduced at the German Grand Prix in the same year. While Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were forced to accept the FIA’s decision, Schumacher and Benetton did not back down so easily.

The team made appeals that there were no secondary methods of measuring plank wear, sticking to just the measurement parameters. Benetton argued that during a spin, a majority of the damage was done, which was later debunked by the FIA, as no debris was found on said corner. It should be kept in mind that the only reason their appeal made it so far was because it was only the third race since the implementation of the directive. As time has passed, the process has had no questions raised against it, until now.

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While there are some surprising similarities between the 1994 and the 2023 events, Lewis Hamilton’s US GP disqualification led to him calling out the FIA’s unfairness by selecting a handful of cars to be tested. But will this result in change? or will Hamilton’s appeal go unheard, similar to Benetton’s?