S Poddar
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix after post-race checks uncovered technical breaches on their Ferraris. Hamilton’s vehicle had excessive wear on the skid block, and Leclerc’s car was below the minimum weight prescribed.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was also excluded for the same weight issue, contributing to the drama of the post-race technical inspections.
Hamilton had initially taken sixth in Sunday’s race, a day after winning his first Ferrari victory in the Shanghai sprint race. Leclerc had initially finished fifth before having his result taken away from him, while Gasly had finished 11th.
Ferrari released a statement insisting that there was “no intention to gain any advantage” from the infractions. The team described how Leclerc’s car was left underweight through overtyre wear resulting from his one-stop plan, while Hamilton’s skid block problem arose from a minor misjudgment in wear rates.
“We will learn from what occurred today and ensure we do not repeat the same errors,” Ferrari said.
Formula 1 rules require cars to have a certain ride height, which is enforced by skid blocks inserted into the underfloor plank. The skids have to be of a minimum depth to avoid performance-enhancing modifications. Wearing them down too much can enable a car to be run lower than allowed, which can make it more aerodynamically efficient and faster.
This is Hamilton’s second ever disqualification of this kind, and it has previously happened while racing for Mercedes during the 2023 United States Grand Prix.
Although the disqualification is a setback for Ferrari, Hamilton’s sprint race win remains a major highlight of his debut season with the team. Meanwhile, the controversy is expected to spark further scrutiny over technical compliance and the razor-thin margins that define success in Formula 1.
