Why was the Cadillac Racing team disqualified three weeks after the race?

After nearly three weeks since the inaugural race of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Qatar, unexpected news emerges: the disqualification of the Cadillac Racing team. Car #2, which competed under the direction of Chip Ganassi and with drivers Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, and Sebastien Bourdais at the wheel, was the center of attention after a technical infraction on the vehicle was revealed during post-race inspections.

The technical report revealed that the rear deflector of the Cadillac V-Series.R did not comply with homologated specifications. Discrepancies in height and alignment of the parts were detected, leading the stewards to the decision to disqualify the team. Although Cadillac submitted a technical report from their chassis partner, Dallara, acknowledging the delivery without final quality checks, the sporting authorities upheld their verdict, arguing that the vehicle still infringed upon the technical regulations established by the FIA and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest.

In response, Cadillac issued a statement accepting the stewards' conclusions and denying any malicious intent in the regulation breach. However, this episode was not the only incident in the race, as Peugeot #93 was also excluded from the results for rule violations.

Additionally, another team, AF Corse LMGT3, was fined €60,000 for concealing the presence of three operational members during the event in Qatar. These members, caught working on technical matters related to race cars without the corresponding identification wristbands, underscored the importance of strictly adhering to sporting regulations.