Lewis Hamilton’s team is facing punishment after the world champion’s Mercedes was found to be in breach of Formula 1’s technical regulations...
A notification from F1 technical delegate Jo Bauer after said that the fuel used during free practice on Lewis Hamilton's car was found to be more than 11C cooler than the ambient air at Marina Bay, exceeding the parameter under Article 6.5.2 of the technical regulations.
The notification said: “The temperature of the fuel intended for immediate use in car number 44, measured at 17:44 with FIA approved and sealed sensor, was more than eleven degrees centigrade (20.3 °C) below the ambient temperature recorded by the FIA appointed weather service provider one hour before the first free practice session (32 °C), this not being in compliance with Article 6.5.2 of the 2019 Formula One Technical Regulations."
The benefits of cooler fuel include a boost in terms of performance, the FIA introduced its limits on cooling some time ago in an effort to prevent the teams taking advantage.
Alfa Romeo was fined for a similar offence during the Austrian Grand Prix and received a penalty of €5,000.
