A double Ferrari disqualification at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc‘s hopes for a strong performance dashed in dramatic fashion as their cars were found to be in technical breaches.
The unprecedented double disqualification marked a significant setback for the Italian team which had been aiming to secure crucial points in the Constructors’ Championship.
The shock Ferrari disqualification came after post-race inspections revealed that both cars failed to meet the stringent technical regulations set by the FIA, leaving the Scuderia with no points from what had initially appeared to be a promising race weekend.
The Shanghai International Circuit had already seen its share of action during the F1 2025 Chinese Grand Prix weekend with Lewis Hamilton triumphing in Saturday’s Sprint race.
However, Sunday’s main event turned into a nightmare for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton who finished sixth in the race and Charles Leclerc who crossed the line in fifth were both summoned for post-race scrutineering.
Why was Ferrari disqualified?
The inspections revealed two separate technical breaches: Hamilton’s car was found to have excessive skid-block wear, while Leclerc’s car was underweight by 1 kilogram. Both breaches were deemed clear violations of FIA technical regulations, resulting in their disqualification from the final classification.
The issue with Hamilton’s car stemmed from excessive wear on the rear skid block, which measured below the minimum thickness of 9mm required by Article 3.5.9 of the FIA Technical Regulations.
The stewards’ report indicated that the skid block on Hamilton’s Ferrari measured between 8.5mm and 8.6mm across various points, falling short of compliance.
Ferrari acknowledged the error and admitted that it was a miscalculation on their part regarding skid wear during the race. Despite this acknowledgment, the stewards applied the standard penalty of disqualification as there were no mitigating circumstances presented by the team.
Leclerc’s disqualification was equally costly but arose from a different infraction. His SF-25 was found to weigh 799 kilograms after fuel was drained from the car, falling below the minimum weight requirement of 800 kilograms outlined in Article 4.1 of the FIA Technical Regulations.
Ferrari explained that Leclerc’s one-stop strategy contributed to excessive tire wear which ultimately led to his car being underweight at the end of the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix race.
Additionally, Leclerc had sustained damage to his front wing during a first-lap collision with Hamilton, further complicating matters for his car’s weight compliance.
The consequences of the double Ferrari disqualification extended beyond the team’s immediate loss of points. The reshuffling of results saw other teams benefit significantly from their misfortune.
Haas’ Esteban Ocon was promoted to fifth place marking an excellent result for the American-owned team. Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli moved up to sixth place, while Williams’ Alex Albon climbed to seventh.
British rookie Oliver Bearman also capitalized on the situation, securing eighth place and adding to Haas’ celebrations on what turned into a banner day for them.
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The double Ferrari disqualification also highlighted broader implications for their season campaign. The Scuderia now finds itself trailing significantly in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships after just two rounds of racing in 2025 F1.
For Lewis Hamilton who started his weekend on a high note with pole position and a Sprint victory Sunday’s events were a bitter pill to swallow. The seven-time world champion has only nine points to his name so far this season—an uncharacteristically low tally for someone of his stature.
Ferrari issued an official statement following the disqualifications, expressing regret over what they described as genuine errors rather than deliberate attempts to gain an advantage.
“Following the FIA post-race scrutineering both our cars were found not to conform to the regulations for different reasons,” read the statement. “Car 16 [Leclerc] was found to be underweight by 1 kg and car 44 [Hamilton]’s rearward skid wear was found to be 0.5mm below the limit.
“Charles was on a one-stop strategy today and this meant his tyre wear was very high, causing the car to be underweight.
“With regard to Lewis’ 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.
“Clearly it’s not the way we wanted to end our 2025 Chinese Grand Prix weekend, neither for ourselves, nor for our fans whose support for us is unwavering.”
This incident marks the first-ever double Ferrari disqualification from a Formula 1 Grand Prix and underscores how unforgiving F1 regulations can be when it comes to technical compliance.
While Ferrari has faced individual disqualifications in previous seasons—with Leclerc and most notably Hamilton’s exclusion from second place at the 2023 United States Grand Prix due to similar skid-block issues on his Mercedes—this dual setback is unprecedented in its scale and impact.
The disqualifications also brought attention to Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who suffered a similar fate after his car was found underweight during post-race checks.
Gasly’s exclusion meant that Alpine remains without points so far this season—a stark contrast to their aspirations at the start of 2025 F1.
