A disastrous 2025 Chinese Grand Prix for Ferrari concluded with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc being stripped of their points after breaching distinct technical regulations at the Shanghai International Circuit.
The Ferrari duo had crossed the finish line in fifth and sixth, capping off a lackluster race where they were never in contention for the win, which went to Oscar Piastri. This came despite their triumph in Saturday’s Sprint Race.
Post-race inspections by Jo Bauer and the FIA team uncovered two separate violations of Formula 1’s technical rules, leaving no choice but to disqualify Leclerc and Hamilton from the event, costing Ferrari 18 valuable points.
Hamilton’s disqualification stemmed from excessive wear on the wooden skid block, intended to control floor ride height, exceeding the permitted 9mm tolerance. This echoes a similar penalty he faced at the 2023 United States GP while with Mercedes.
The seven-time champion, who struggled for pace compared to Leclerc throughout the race, now loses even the modest points he earned. His sole consolation is the Sprint victory secured on March 22.
“Challenging race but a decent weekend overall,” Hamilton said in a Ferrari press release prior to the disqualification. “We’ve made strides since Melbourne. We experimented with setup tweaks for qualifying and the race that didn’t pan out, but it’s a lesson for the future.
“I had a strong start but couldn’t maintain the pace as the race wore on, so I suggested swapping with Charles to optimize our team result. The two-stop strategy brought some late-race speed, but it wasn’t enough to climb the order.
“We’ll analyze it all, take the lessons, and return stronger. It’s a long fight for the title, and we’ll keep at it.”
The 105-time Grand Prix winner now shifts focus to the Japanese GP at Suzuka, set for April 4-6, aiming to kickstart his season in the championship standings.
Leclerc, meanwhile, was also called before the stewards after his car failed to meet the 800-kilogram minimum weight, despite allowances for a broken front wing sustained on Lap 1. After replacing the missing endplate with a heavier substitute and draining the fuel, the car still weighed in at just 799 kilograms.
The Monegasque driver will rue the lost points after a commendable drive, battling George Russell for a podium spot at times before falling back into Max Verstappen’s grasp.
The disqualifications reshuffled the order, with Esteban Ocon (originally 7th), Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon, and Oliver Bearman each gaining two positions. Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz climbed three spots into the points, joined by Pierre Gasly’s misfortune.
Gasly, too, was disqualified after his Alpine fell one kilogram short of the minimum weight post-fuel drainage, compounding a chaotic day for the stewards.
