Motor racing-Ferrari's Leclerc and Hamilton disqualified from Chinese Grand Prix


Formula One F1 - Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China - March 23, 2025 Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton after finishing sixth place in the Chinese Grand Prix Pool via REUTERS/Alex Plavevski

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were disqualified from the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix after their cars failed post-race checks on Sunday.

The pair finished fifth and sixth respectively in the race in Shanghai but Leclerc's car was found to be under the weight limit while Hamilton's car was reported to stewards for excessive skid wear.

Alpine's Pierre Gasly, who finished 11th, was also disqualified for his car being below the minimum weight.

Leclerc had lost his car's front wing end plate in a first-lap collision with Hamilton but that was replaced before the final weighing.

Stewards reported that it weighed 799 kg after the fuel was drained, with the minimum weight set at 800 kg.

The thickness of the plank on Hamilton's car was below the minimum nine mm.

"During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly," stewards said in a statement.

"The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team."

The disqualifications benefited Haas particularly, with Esteban Ocon moving up to fifth and rookie Oliver Bearman eighth.

Italian Andrea Kimi Antonelli moved up to sixth for Mercedes with Alex Albon seventh for Williams.

Gasly's disqualification meant Lance Stroll finished ninth for Aston Martin and Carlos Sainz took the final point for Williams despite finishing 13th on track.

"Charles was on a one-stop strategy today and this meant his tyre wear was very high, causing the car to be underweight," Ferrari said in a statement.

"With regard to Lewis's skid wear, we misjudged the consumption by a small margin.

"There was no intention to gain any advantage. We will learn from what happened today and make sure we don't make the same mistakes again."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Clare Fallon, Elaine Hardcastle)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Motorsport

Motor racing-Leclerc fastest for Ferrari on final day of F1 testing
Motor racing-Russell concerned by Ferrari's fast starts and his slow ones
Motor racing-Honda battery issue adds to Aston Martin's testing woes
Motor racing-F1 will thrill in new engine era and Verstappen sure to stay, Domenicali says
Motor racing-Norris amused by reaction to his comments on new F1 cars
Motor racing-Wolff accuses F1 engine rivals of ganging up against Mercedes
Motor racing-Barcelona to stay on F1 calendar, to alternate with Belgium until 2032
Motor racing-Mercedes end first Bahrain F1 test one-two on the timesheets
Motor racing-Formula E boss invites Verstappen to try electric after F1 car comments
Motor racing-Verstappen says new F1 car is "not much fun to drive"

Others Also Read