Ferrari's Nightmare in China: Hamilton and Leclerc Disqualified
What a shocking turn of events at the Chinese Grand Prix! Just when Ferrari seemed to be finding their rhythm, disaster struck. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have both been disqualified after post-race inspections found technical violations on their cars. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly suffered the same fate, making this one of the most dramatic shake-ups in recent Formula 1 history.
Let’s talk about what exactly went down. Hamilton, who finished sixth in the race, had his Ferrari disqualified because one of the skid blocks on his car was found to be worn down below the legal limit. These skid blocks are crucial because they help regulate the car’s ride height—too much wear means the car was running lower than it should have, potentially gaining an unfair aerodynamic advantage. The FIA made it clear: the technical regulations are strict, and any breach, no matter how small, leads to immediate action.
Meanwhile, Leclerc and Gasly were disqualified for a completely different issue—their cars were found to be under the minimum weight requirement. Leclerc had originally crossed the finish line in fifth, and Gasly finished 11th, but after the mandatory post-race checks, both were stripped of their results. Ferrari later explained that Leclerc’s unexpected tire wear from his one-stop strategy caused the car to drop below the legal weight threshold. As for Gasly, his Alpine team admitted that the fuel calculations had been slightly off, leading to a similar problem.
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Ferrari quickly owned up to the mistakes, stating that they had ‘misjudged the consumption’ and had no intention of gaining an advantage. But regardless of intent, the rules are the rules, and the penalties were enforced.
This is a massive blow for Hamilton, who had just claimed victory in the sprint race the day before—his first win since joining Ferrari. The disqualification means he now loses out on valuable championship points, a painful setback in what is already shaping up to be an ultra-competitive season.
With Ferrari’s top drivers out of the final standings, the revised results saw McLaren’s Oscar Piastri officially taking the victory, with his teammate Lando Norris in second and Mercedes’ George Russell rounding off the podium in third. This result also boosted drivers like Esteban Ocon, Kimi Antonelli, and Alex Albon into the top 10, giving them an unexpected but well-earned reward.
This isn’t the first time Hamilton has faced disqualification for a similar issue—he experienced a comparable penalty at the 2023 United States Grand Prix while driving for Mercedes. The lesson here? Even the smallest miscalculations in F1 can have massive consequences.
Now, the big question: how will Ferrari bounce back from this? They’ll need to be meticulous in their approach moving forward to ensure these costly mistakes don’t repeat. With the season still young, there’s time for redemption—but moments like these could make or break their championship hopes.
One thing is for sure—Formula 1 never fails to deliver drama, and this Chinese Grand Prix will be remembered for a long time. Let’s see how Ferrari responds in the upcoming races. Will they tighten up their operations and come back stronger, or will this be a sign of more trouble ahead? Only time will tell!
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