Ferrari’s expected points from the recent Chinese Grand Prix have been nullified following disqualifications of both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Hamilton, who initially finished sixth, was disqualified due to an excessively worn skid block, which allowed his car to run closer to the ground than permitted, giving him an unfair advantage. Leclerc, along with Pierre Gasly from Alpine, faced exclusion as their cars were found to be a kilogram under the minimum weight limit of 800kg.
Despite the disqualification overshadowing what started as a promising weekend for Hamilton, who secured pole position and won the sprint race on Saturday, the team acknowledged the errors leading to their exclusion. They stated that Leclerc’s underweight issue stemmed from heavy tyre wear linked to a one-stop race strategy, while Hamilton’s skid wear was attributed to a miscalculation.
In the stewards’ report, it was confirmed that both teams had adhered to procedures, but noted there were no extenuating circumstances to excuse the infractions. Ferrari expressed disappointment at the outcome, particularly for their loyal fans, and emphasised their commitment to learning from these mistakes to avoid similar issues in the future.
Interestingly, this is not the first instance of disqualification for Hamilton due to skid block wear, as he faced the same fate at the 2023 US Grand Prix. The disqualifications also benefited Haas, with Esteban Ocon moving up to fifth place and rookie Oliver Bearman rising from tenth to eighth.
The next race is set to take place at the esteemed Suzuka Circuit in Japan on April 6th, kicking off a series of three consecutive races which include Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.