Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix after their Ferrari cars failed technical checks following the race.
Leclerc had finished in 5th place and Hamilton in 6th, but both cars were later found to break different rules. Leclerc’s car was 1kg too light, while Hamilton’s had too much wear on the plank under the car – a rule that ensures the car isn’t running too low to the ground.
This disqualification cost Ferrari 18 points in the Constructors’ Championship, pushing them down to fifth place, now behind Williams and 61 points behind leaders McLaren.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who had finished 11th, was also disqualified for similar weight issues.
The changes shook up the race results, moving drivers like Esteban Ocon and Kimi Antonelli further up the table. Here’s the updated top 10 for the Chinese GP:
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
Hamilton now sits 9th in the Drivers’ standings with 9 points – most from his Sprint Race win – while Leclerc is just behind him with 8. Lando Norris leads with 44 points.
The issue with Hamilton’s car was similar to one he had in 2023 at the US Grand Prix, where too much wear on the plank under the car also led to a disqualification. After checking the car in Shanghai, FIA found the plank was too thin – below the legal 9mm minimum.
Ferrari admitted the mistake, saying it was an error on their part.
Next up, Formula 1 heads to Japan, with the Grand Prix at Suzuka from April 4–6, live on Sky Sports F1.
