Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly have been disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix after their cars failed post-race technical checks.
Neither of the teams affected, Ferrari and Alpine, contested any of the stewards’ rulings. They accepted the measurements were made correctly and said the infringements were caused by “genuine errors” on their part.
The stewards issued identical explanations for Leclerc and Gasly’s disqualifications after the technical delegate reported their cars weighed less than the 800kg minimum weight limit.
They noted the two cars were “weighed by the FIA technical delegate inside and outside scales with both scales showing the same result of 799kg after the customary draining of fuel and the replacement of a broken front wing.
“The calibration of both scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. During the hearing there was no challenge to the FIA’s measurements which are taken to be correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly. There are no mitigating circumstances and that the team[s] confirmed that it was a genuine error by them.
“The stewards determine that article 4.1 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations has been breached and therefore the standard penalty of a disqualification needs to be applied for such [infringements].”
Hamilton was disqualified because his plank assembly was found to be beneath the minimum thickness of nine millimetres.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
“The plank assembly of car 44 [Hamilton] was measured and found to be 8.6mm (LHS), 8.6mm (car centerline) and 8.5mm (RHS),” the stewards noted. “This is below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations.
“During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.
“The stewards determine that Article 3.5.9 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations has been breached and therefore the standard penalty of a disqualification needs to be applied for such an infringement.”
The trio of disqualifications have caused significant changes to the race’s original finishing order.
Esteban Ocon moves up two places to finish fifth, and therefore scores Haas’s best result since the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix. Behind him Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alexander Albon and Oliver Bearman all move up two places in the standings.
Two drivers who did not originally finish in the top 10 have claimed points. Lance Stroll has moved up to ninth and Carlos Sainz Jnr takes the final point in 10th.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Ferrari explained why their cars failed the checks in a statement. “Charles was on a one-stop strategy today and this meant his tyre wear was very high, causing the car to be underweight,” the team said.
“With regard to Lewis’ skid wear, we misjudged the consumption by a small margin.”
The team added: “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.
“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.”
Ferrari’s double disqualification means they fall from one point behind Red Bull to 19 adrift, and tied with Williams for fourth in the standings. Mercedes cut four points out of McLaren’s constructors’ championship lead, reducing it to 21.
The disqualifications only affect the results of the grand prix, not the sprint race, which Hamilton won.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
For the Ferrari drivers, this is their second post-race disqualification due to a technical infringement in 18 months. Both were disqualified at the United States Grand Prix in 2023, when Hamilton drove for Mercedes, for excessive plank wear.
Updated: 2025 Chinese Grand Prix race result and championship points
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2025 Chinese Grand Prix
- “I can’t turn the car at all”: Full radio from Lawson’s alarming Chinese GP slog to 16th
- Wolff rates Russell’s Chinese Grand Prix performance “10 out of 10”
- Just how poor was Lawson’s pace? Chinese Grand Prix data analysed
- Lawson is relieved the next track is one he knows – but he could be out by then
- Did F1’s radio editing create a false narrative Hamilton was disobeying Ferrari?
