Ferrari disqualified from Chinese GP in shocking twist!
03/23/2025 09:07 AM
In a dramatic turn of events in Shanghai, Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, along with Alpine's Pierre Gasly, have been from Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix after post-race scrutineering uncovered technical breaches.
What amounted to a productive double-points finish for the Scuderia unraveled into a nightmare of rule violations, leaving the Formula 1 paddock reeling and the final standings dramatically rewritten.
Leclerc had fought valiantly to fifth place, with Hamilton close behind in sixth, while Gasly has concluded his day just outside the points.
But within hours, the FIA's technical delegate, Jo Bauer, dropped a bombshell: all three cars had failed critical post-race checks, triggering a triple disqualification.
No Mitigating Circumstances
Leclerc's car, fitted with a substitute front wing following the Monegasque's contact with Hamilton on the opening lap of the race, tipped in at just 799 kilograms – 1 kilogram below the minimum mandated by Article 4.1 of the technical regulations after fuel was drained.
Meanwhile, Hamilton's SF-25 faced its own reckoning. The rearmost skid on the seven-time world champion's car, a critical component of the machine's underfloor plank, was measured at three points, with each reading falling below the mandatory 9mm thickness required by Article 3.5.9.
The FIA statement was damning: Ferrari "acknowledged there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team."
Not spared from the chaos, Alpine's Pierre Gasly joined the disqualified trio. His car, initially weighed at 800 kilograms, dropped to 799 kilograms after a routine fuel drain, mirroring Leclerc's infraction.
The Frenchman's 11th-place finish, which had tantalizingly positioned him to inherit a point, evaporated in an instant.
Ferrari made no excuses for the transgression on Hamilton's car, having misjudged its calculations ahead of Saturday's qualifying session, when cars enter parc fermé restrictions.
Following the FIA post-race scrutineering, both our cars were found not to conform to the regulations for different reasons," Ferrari stated. "Car 16 was found to be underweight by 1kg and car 44's rearward skid wear was found to be 0.5mm below the limit.
"Charles was on a one-stop strategy today and this meant his tyre wear was very high, causing the car to be underweight. With regard to Lewis' skid wear, we misjudged the consumption by a small margin.
"We will learn from what happened today and make sure we don't make the same mistakes again," the statement continued.
"Clearly it's not the way we wanted to end our Chinese GP weekend, neither for ourselves, nor for our fans whose support for us is unwavering."
Winners Emerge from the Wreckage
The triple axing has reshaped the Chinese Grand Prix results in dramatic fashion, handing unexpected glory to others.
Haas emerged as the day's biggest beneficiary, with Esteban Ocon rocketed from seventh to fifth, while rookie Oliver Bearman climbed to eighth, securing a stunning 14-point haul for the American squad.
Team boss Ayao Komatsu, fresh off praising his crew's resilience, could scarcely believe the windfall.
Mercedes' rising star Kimi Antonelli now sits sixth, with Williams' Alex Albon promoted to seventh.
The reshuffle also gifted points to Aston Martin's Lance Stroll (ninth) and Williams' Carlos Sainz (10th), the latter salvaging a sliver of pride after a lackluster race.
As the dust settles, the implications are seismic. Ferrari's 18-point haul vanished, dropping them from one point behind Red Bull to 19 adrift in the Constructors' Championship, now locked in a tie with Williams for fourth.
Leclerc and Hamilton, who had banked 10 and 8 points respectively, see their Drivers' standings gutted, with Hamilton clinging to ninth on nine points—thanks only to his Sprint win—and Leclerc languishing in 10th with eight.
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