Lewis Hamilton disqualified from Chinese Grand Prix after skid block breach as Ferrari suffer double disqualification

Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix after the rear skid block on his Ferrari was found to be under the minimum thickness required in the technical regulations, meaning that both of the team’s drivers have lost their results given that Charles Leclerc has also been disqualified for a car weight breach.

After his victory in the Sprint on Saturday, Hamilton faced a more challenging day at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday, the seven-time World Champion having made contact with Leclerc on Lap 1 before struggling to keep the pace of his rivals en route to a final position of P6.

However, after the race a Technical Delegate’s report stated that, when the skid wear of Hamilton’s car was checked following the Grand Prix, the rearmost skid was found to be below the minimum 9mm thickness required, meaning that the matter was referred to the stewards.

Hamilton and a team representative were subsequently required to report to the stewards and, after the hearing took place, it was announced that the Briton had been disqualified from the results of Sunday’s race.

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 23: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 — Both Hamilton and Leclerc have been disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix for separate technical breaches

A document released following the hearing reads: “The plank assembly of Car 44 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.

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“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.”

SHANGHAI, CHINA - MARCH 22: Sprint winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari in — Hamilton took his first win for Ferrari in Saturday's Sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix

It marks a nightmare end to the day for Ferrari, with Leclerc having also received a post-race disqualification from P5 after his car was found to be below the minimum weight required by the technical regulations.

Like Hamilton, Leclerc and a team representative were summoned to the stewards following a Technical Delegate’s report on the matter – which noted that Leclerc’s SF-25 was 1kg below the minimum weight – and it was later announced that the Monegasque had been disqualified.

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Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was also hit with a disqualification for the same breach as Leclerc, with the Enstone outfit remaining as the only team yet to score a point so far in 2025.

The double disqualification for Ferrari means that Esteban Ocon, Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman – who had finished in seventh through to 10th respectively – are now promoted by two positions, while Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz also take home points by moving into the top 10, given that Gasly has also been disqualified from P11.