Smedley expects Mercedes to be excluded

Lewis Hamilton's victory is in doubt after the FIA revealed one of his tyres was 0.3 PSI below the mark set by the minimum tyre pressure regulations introduced for this race.

Although it is believed 0.3 PSI would not make a significant difference in terms performance, Smedley reckons there is no room for tolerance when it comes to technical rules.

That is why he is expecting Hamilton to be disqualified from the race if Mercedes is found guilty.

"It doesn't matter what it is," said Smedley. "If it's 0.3 or minus 10. When you have a technical regulation, you have to stick to that technical regulation.

"With wings we measure them and we get them to within half a millimeter of the regulations, but they are half a millimeter within, we don't go outside the technical regulations.

"And if we did go outside and we were caught going outside then we would be disqualified.

"There's a technical regulation and that's in place in order that you don't infringe it.

"So where do you go with wings? What do you do with car heights? What do you with your power units? Is it alright a bit, but it's not alright a lot?

"We all abide by that technical regulation. If we all added a little bit then all of our cars would be two seconds quicker.

"If I took a little bit in every single area of the car, the car would be two seconds quicker, so we don't take a little bit anywhere.

"There's a technical regulation and they've infringed the technical regulation. End of story."

Interview by Oleg Karpov