Lewis Hamilton has faced disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix due to a technical violation involving his Ferrari. The issue was uncovered when it was found that one of the skid blocks on Hamilton’s car was thinner than regulations allow following the race.
Hamilton wasn’t alone in facing repercussions; his teammate Charles Leclerc and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also found themselves disqualified. Post-race checks revealed that their cars didn’t meet the weight requirements. As a result, Hamilton has forfeited his sixth-place finish in the main race. This development comes right on the heels of his sprint race victory in Shanghai the day before—a notable win marking his first with his new team.
Ferrari released a statement affirming there was “no intention to gain any advantage” through these irregularities. They explained the disqualifications, noting that the high tire wear stemming from Leclerc’s one-stop strategy contributed to the weight discrepancy. Regarding Hamilton, they attributed the skid wear to a slight misjudgment in consumption. The team emphasized, “We will learn from what happened today and make sure we don’t make the same mistakes again.”
Monegasque driver Leclerc had finished in fifth, while Frenchman Gasly ended the race in 11th position. It’s important to understand the technicalities here—Formula 1 cars are equipped with skid blocks on the floor designed to maintain a specific ride height, preventing the car from running too low. These skids are part of the underfloor wooden plank, which also has a minimum depth requirement.
Excessive wear on these parts can yield a performance edge by allowing the car to run lower than normal. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Hamilton has encountered such a setback; he faced a similar disqualification issue back at the 2023 United States Grand Prix while driving for Mercedes.
For those curious about the role and measurement of these planks, there’s a deeper dive available.
