Lewis Hamilton’s shock disqualification tells us one thing: Ferrari have already hit rock bottom
Twenty-four hours is a long time in Formula One. Just on Saturday, Lewis Hamilton was riding high, optimism radiating, after his first taste of victory in the famous Ferrari red, albeit in the shorter sprint format.
By Sunday night, long after dusk fell in Shanghai, the Briton and his beleaguered team had hit rock bottom.
Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc’s disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix represents a new nadir for Ferrari, just two races into the 2025 F1 season. Beyond any strategy errors or clashes on track – of which there were both on Sunday – failing to produce a legal car for the customary post-race checks is an embarrassing own-goal.
Make that two own-goals. Perhaps the only saving grace is that it did not cost them more than 18 points, given Hamilton and Leclerc finished only sixth and fifth respectively.
Hamilton’s car was found to fail a technical check due to the skid wear of the thickness of the plank underneath the car, beyond the permitted nine millimetres. Hamilton’s measured at 8.6mm on the left-hand side and centre-line, and 8.5mm on the right-hand side.
That’s all it was: 0.5mm. The length of a credit card. But once the FIA’s chief scrutineer Jo Bauer sent it to the stewards, it was a slam-dunk DSQ. And there’s no doubt it’s a brutal verdict – but it’s a marginal gain in a marginal gains sport.
Yet while Ferrari acknowledged in a statement they will “make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again”, the sad reality is that they’ve been here before.
In 2023, Leclerc was disqualified from the United States GP for the exact same reason: plank wear. Ironically, Hamilton was also excluded for the same reason at the same race, though of course then he was racing for Mercedes.
There are legitimate reasons for this error, as cataclysmic as the consequences are. China was the first sprint weekend of the season, meaning the teams had less time to trial different setups with the car. Hamilton admitted post-race on Sunday – prior to news of his DSQ – that the team had tried something different with his car ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session.
An odd direction to take, one may think, given his sprint race win a matter of hours earlier.
“Ultimately we had a pretty decent car in the sprint, we made some changes and made it worse,” Hamilton said, prior to his sixth-place finish being wiped out.
“We made it quite a bit worse, I hadn’t tested it, we [him and Leclerc] both went that way and it was bad. I know not to do that again.”
Ultimately, the lower the ride height of the car, the quicker it goes. But for safety reasons, there has to be a limit to the car’s depth. With unclear forecasts in terms of track evolvement and tyre development, Ferrari essentially toed the line in search of optimum performance – and crept marginally over that line.
TOP-10 - CHINESE GRAND PRIX
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
As for Leclerc, his car was found to be 1kg under the permitted weight of 900kg. Again fine margins, inevitably not helped by the surprise of this 56-lap grand prix being a one-stop race. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also came a cropper, costing him and his team their first points of the season. It was the first time three drivers had been disqualified from a Formula 1 grand prix since 2004.
But 16 other drivers (with Fernando Alonso earlier retiring) finished the race legally. It is calamitous that a team of Ferrari’s stature, pedigree and experience (they are the only team to be present in every F1 season since 1950) could make these errors. As welcoming as his laid-back, amusing demeanour is, team principal Fred Vasseur has serious work to do to eradicate such blunders ahead of the next race in Japan in two weeks.
Beyond Hamilton’s frosty exchanges with new race engineer Riccardo Adami last week in Australia – of which there were more clashes of styles on Sunday, as Hamilton communicated his wish to allow Leclerc to pass him – the seven-time world champion will quickly lose faith if the team cannot do the basics correctly.
And the ramifications on the leaderboard? Just two races in, they are already severe.
Ferrari trail leaders McLaren - who secured a peerless one-two finish with Oscar Piastri taking the win from Lando Norris - by 61 points, with the wiping of Hamilton and Leclerc’s 18 points.
The Brit is languishing in ninth place in the drivers’ standings, behind the likes of Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and his Mercedes replacement Kimi Antonelli. Dreams of an eighth world title this year already look far-fetched, despite 22 race weekends to come.
It’s a numbers game. And ignoring the minimal points on offer in the sprint race, Hamilton’s start for Ferrari reads as follows: a 10th-place finish in Australia and a DSQ in China. Already, he trails championship leader Norris by 35 points.
Hamilton won’t be overly downbeat; it’s not his nature, nor is it beneficial. And the sprint gave a glimpse of the performance potential this year. But overall, the joyous aroma of his Scuderia start has quickly evaporated. It has, largely, been a fortnight to forget.
-
Lewis Hamilton disqualified from Chinese Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix along with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc after both cars failed post-race technical checks.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc disqualified from Chinese GP in F1 calamity for Ferrari
The cars of Hamilton and Leclerc both failed post-race checks in a major blow after the race in ShanghaiYahoo Sports - 2d -
Ferrari vows to sort 'mistakes' that disqualified Hamilton: 5 takeaways from F1's Chinese Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton went from the thrill of winning a sprint race for his new Ferrari team to the agony of being disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix the following day alongside teammate Charles ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Why was Lewis Hamilton disqualified from Chinese Grand Prix?
Hamilton had crossed the line in sixth but later suffered a DQ along with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly of AlpineYahoo Sports - 1d -
Ferrari's Hamilton disqualified from Chinese GP
Lewis Hamilton is disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix for a technical infringement on his Ferrari.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Ferrari's Hamilton disqualified from Chinese GP
Lewis Hamilton is disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix for a technical infringement on his Ferrari.BBC News - 2d -
Piastri hails 'mega' McLaren as both Ferraris disqualified at Chinese GP
Oscar Piastri hailed his "mega" McLaren after winning a Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday later overshadowed by the disqualifications of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for technical ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
F1 standings after Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s results in China wiped out
Hamilton and Leclerc were both disqualified after the Chinese Grand PrixYahoo Sports - 1d -
Oscar Piastri wins Chinese Grand Prix while Lewis Hamilton and two other drivers disqualified
Oscar Piastri won the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday and his teammate Lando Norris finished second in a dominant race for McLaren, while three drivers – including Lewis Hamilton – were later ...Yahoo Sports - 2d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Former NFL GM has Colts making popular pick in latest 2025 mock draft
One former NFL GM has the Indianapolis Colts making a very popular pick in his latest 2025 mock draft.Yahoo Sports - 47m -
Rams add size and strength in NBC Sports mock draft
The Rams go big and bold with their first three picks in this mock draft by selecting a safety, tight end and linebacker.Yahoo Sports - 48m -
Full injury report for Tuesday's Thunder vs. Kings matchup
Full injury report for Tuesday's Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings matchup.Yahoo Sports - 49m -
The Ariel Helwani Show | Cain Velasquez reaction, Carlos Ulberg, Raul Rosas Jr., David Taylor, Steve Erceg, Artem Vakhitov and more
Ariel Helwani is back with a monster show featuring Carlos Ulberg, Raul Rosas Jr., David Taylor, Steve Erceg, Artem Vakhitov, plus reaction to the Cain Velasquez verdict and more.Yahoo Sports - 50m -
3 ex-Broncos quarterbacks playing in UFL this spring
Three former Broncos backup quarterbacks are suiting up in the UFL this spring.Yahoo Sports - 50m
More in Sports
-
2025 Houston Open free picks, odds, best bets: Golf model reveals top 3 predictions, including 55-1 longshot
SportsLine's model simulated the 2025 Houston Open 10,000 times and revealed its PGA Tour best bets for Memorial ParkCBS Sports - 43m -
2025 NCAA Tournament bracket: Sweet 16 predictions, March Madness second chance picks from proven model
SportsLine's college basketball model nailed 13 of 16 Sweet 16 teams this year and just revealed its second-chance NCAA bracket 2025 picksCBS Sports - 44m -
Former NFL GM has Colts making popular pick in latest 2025 mock draft
One former NFL GM has the Indianapolis Colts making a very popular pick in his latest 2025 mock draft.Yahoo Sports - 47m -
Rams add size and strength in NBC Sports mock draft
The Rams go big and bold with their first three picks in this mock draft by selecting a safety, tight end and linebacker.Yahoo Sports - 48m -
Full injury report for Tuesday's Thunder vs. Kings matchup
Full injury report for Tuesday's Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings matchup.Yahoo Sports - 49m