Technical infringements sent both Ferraris and Gasly home, leaving fans stunned. What led to the events that prompted F1 race officials to issue these disqualifications?
In the hours after the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix feature race, F1 fans learned that both Ferraris had been disqualified from the race for technical infringements. The day was already not the race Ferrari and fans had hoped for, with the drivers finishing 5th and 6th, but it got even worse after the announcement that they had been disqualified.
Also disqualified from the race was Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, though the drama at Ferrari overshadowed this.
How do the officials find out about these technical breaches? After every race, all the cars must go through the Parc Ferme procedure, in which they are brought into a secure area where only authorized personnel can work on them.
All of the cars undergo checks on weight, fuel samples, and data logging. They also go through physical checks such as plank wear, body work, floor, and wings, checking for any rule infractions.
The cars are also selected, either by top finishers or random selection, to be searched more intensively. These searches check things like the brake systems, aero parts, etc.
If there are any technical breaches, they are reported to the stewards and often lead to disqualification for the driver. A lot of the issues come from the car weighing in under weight, or the plank or floor having excessive wear.
Ferrari’s issues
Leclerc and Hamilton's car had different issues that led to their disqualifications. Leclerc’s car was found to be 1kg, about 2.2lbs, underweight. During inspection, Hamilton’s rearward skid was below 0.5mm below minimum thickness required, causing his disqualification.
After the announcement, Ferrari issued a statement taking blame for the disqualifications. They said they had “no intention to gain any advantage.” Regarding the issues, they said Leclerc’s issue was likely due to excessive tyre wear from his one-stop strategy. For Hamilton, they simply misjudged the consumption by a small margin, causing him to be out of regulation.
Other instances of disqualifications
Ironically, this was not the first time Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had been disqualified at the same time, though it was the first when they were on the same team. At the 2023 Austin Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc and then Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton had been disqualified for excessive plank wear.
McLaren also faced a double disqualification later in the 2025 season at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Both cars had excessive skid block wear, and while it wasn’t intentional, it certainly gave Red Bull and Max Verstappen to close the gap for the championship.