The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
F1 Chinese GP RESULT: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc disqualified in huge Ferrari blow
Follow updates from the Shanghai International Circuit as Ferrari are punished post-race with both of their drivers missing out on points in a huge shock
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have both been disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix in a disastrous blow for Ferrari in the second race of the 2025 F1 season.
The cars of both drivers failed post-race checks, with Hamilton’s skid block found to be below the minimum thickness, while Leclerc’s car was found to be underweight.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly has also been disqualified for an underweight car.
It means Hamilton and Leclerc’s points for their sixth and fifth place finish respectively – eight and 10 – are wiped from their championship tally. The disqualification does not impact Hamilton’s sprint race victory on Saturday, for which he secured eight points, but it marks a calamitous end to the Shanghai weekend for Ferrari and their team boss Fred Vasseur.
Follow live updates from the Chinese Grand Prix with The Independent
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc disqualified
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have both been disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix in a disastrous blow for Ferrari.
The cars of both drivers failed post-race checks, with Hamilton’s skid block found to be below the minimum thickness, while Leclerc’s car was found to be underweight.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly has also been disqualified for an underweight car.
It means Hamilton and Leclerc’s points for their sixth and fifth place finish respectively – eight and 10 – are wiped from their championship tally.
The disqualification does not impact Hamilton’s sprint race victory on Saturday, for which he secured eight points.
Pierre Gasly reacts to disqualification:
“It was a tricky race out there today and again, like last week, we finished 11th and just outside of the points.
“Unfortunately, after the race, a technical infringement meant we faced a DSQ.
“In terms of the actual race, though, I think the degradation probably caught most teams out by surprise in the race as it was much lower than expected and the one-stop proved doable.
“We extended our second stint after pitting early and took it to the chequered flag without any reward. In general, it has been a challenging weekend where we have not been as competitive as we would like.”
Lewis Hamilton, after finishing sixth:
Hamilton spoke earlier, prior to news of his DSQ:
On two-stop strategy: “I’m glad that we tried something, I was struggling with performance.
“Ultimately we had a pretty decent car in the sprint, we made some changes and made it worse. Lots to learn, the pit stop is too long here and they were still going fast at the end, Verstappen was doing the same times as me and I had fresher tyres, it wasn’t great.”
On changes post-sprint: “We made it quite a bit worse, I hadn’t tested it, we both went that way and it was bad.
“I know not to do that again.”
An unwanted Hamilton fact...
Lewis Hamilton has become the first driver in F1 history to secure a win and also be disqualified in the same race weekend!
This, of course, follows his sprint race victory on Saturday - which still stands.
FIA STATEMENT:
On Hamilton’s DSQ, an FIA statement read:
“The plank assembly of Car 44 [Hamilton] was measured and found to be 8.6mm (LHS), 8.6mm (car centerline) and 8.5mm (RHS). 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.”
NEW TOP-10 - CHINESE GP
As a result of Hamilton (6th), Leclerc (5th) and Gasly’s (11th) DSQ - here is the new top-10:
1. Oscar Piastri
2. Lando Norris
3. George Russell
4. Max Verstappen
5. Esteban Ocon
6. Kimi Antonelli
7. Alex Albon
8. Ollie Bearman
9. Lance Stroll
10. Carlos Sainz
CONFIRMED: Lewis Hamilton disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix
Hamilton’s DSQ is also now confirmed by the FIA.
This is due to excessive plank wear on his Ferrari car.
Wow.
CONFIRMED: Charles Leclerc is disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix
Leclerc’s DSQ is confirmed. Pierre Gasly’s is also confirmed.
Both for underweight cars!
We await news on Lewis Hamilton’s DSQ...
UPDATE: Ferrari have seen stewards
Ferrari have already seen the stewards about Leclerc’s issue, with Alpine now in the room for Gasly.
Ferrari will be back in the room in 15 minutes for Hamilton...
BREAKING: LEWIS HAMILTON AT RISK TOO
Excessive skid wear to blame, as his rearmost skids have been measured below the 9mm minimum thickness limit post-race.
Could be a double Ferrari DSQ!
Oh gosh...
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
0Comments