Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have been removed from the results of the Chinese Grand Prix because their cars failed post-race inspections.
Leclerc and Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, finished fifth and sixth in the Shanghai race. However, their cars were found to violate two different technical regulations during checks by the FIA technical team.
Leclerc`s car was found to be 1kg lighter than the minimum allowed weight. Hamilton`s car was disqualified due to excessive wear on the skid block, a part under the car. This is similar to an issue that cost him second place at the United States GP in 2023 when he was driving for Mercedes.
Ferrari stated that Leclerc`s car was underweight because his one-stop strategy led to high tire wear. Regarding Hamilton`s skid wear, they admitted misjudging the wear margin.
The team clarified, “There was no intention to gain any advantage.” They added that they will learn from these mistakes to avoid repeating them, expressing disappointment for themselves and their fans.
Revised Chinese GP Top 10
1) Oscar Piastri, McLaren
2) Lando Norris, McLaren
3) George Russell, Mercedes
4) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5) Esteban Ocon, Haas
6) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
7) Alex Albon, Williams
8) Oliver Bearman, Haas
9) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
10) Carlos Sainz, Williams
The stewards said there were no mitigating circumstances and the team acknowledged it was their error.
With Ferrari`s disqualifications, the team lost 18 crucial points in the Constructors` Championship. This drops them to fifth place, now 61 points behind the leading team, McLaren.
Hamilton is now ninth in the Drivers` Championship with nine points, and Leclerc is tenth with eight points. Lando Norris leads the championship with 44 points.
Alpine`s Pierre Gasly, who initially finished 11th, was also disqualified for being underweight in post-race checks.
Ferrari`s double removal significantly changed the top 10 results, especially benefiting Haas. Esteban Ocon moved up to fifth place from seventh, and his teammate Oliver Bearman climbed from tenth to eighth. Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes is now sixth, and Alex Albon of Williams is seventh. Lance Stroll of Aston Martin moved to ninth, and Carlos Sainz of Williams secured the final point in tenth.
Why was Hamilton disqualified?
Similar to his 2023 disqualification at the Austin event, Hamilton`s Ferrari failed a post-race check. The FIA technical delegate, Jo Bauer, found that the plank under his car was thinner than the minimum 9mm requirement. Measurements showed it was 8.6mm on the left, 8.6mm in the center, and 8.5mm on the right.
F1 teams aim to run their cars very low for better aerodynamics but must ensure the skid blocks on the plank don`t wear too much during the race.
Before his disqualification, Hamilton mentioned struggling with his car`s performance throughout the race after setup changes made after his Sprint win on Saturday.
He told Sky Sports Italy that changes made to improve the car for qualifying actually made it worse for the race, making it difficult to keep pace with the leaders. However, he noted that they learned valuable lessons.
Why was Leclerc disqualified?
Leclerc`s Ferrari, like Gasly`s Alpine, was found to be 1kg below the minimum weight. Even after considering the damaged front wing from a first-lap incident with Hamilton, the car was still underweight after fuel drainage and sample collection.
FIA`s Bauer explained that after the race, Leclerc`s car weighed 800.0kg, the minimum required. Even with a spare front wing added to compensate for damage, it only weighed 800.5kg. After draining fuel, the weight dropped to 799.0kg, below the legal limit.
Technical regulations in F1 are strictly enforced, with little tolerance for breaches, regardless of how small or whether there was a performance advantage gained.
Formula 1 next goes to the Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix in April.
