Hamilton and Leclerc disqualified from Chinese GP for technical breaches

Dominika Jordan
Mar 23, 2025, 07:44 AM ET

Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix after his Ferrari's rear skid block was found to be below the minimum required thickness. This disqualification affects both Ferrari drivers, as Charles Leclerc was also removed from results due to a car weight breach.

Following a challenging race at the Shanghai International Circuit, where Hamilton finished P6 despite a Lap 1 collision with Leclerc, a Technical Delegate's report noted the skid wear issue. The report revealed the rearmost skid of Hamilton's car measured 8.6mm on the left and center, and 8.5mm on the right, all beneath the 9mm standard set by Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations.

A document from the hearing reported: “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."

Leclerc faced a similar fate as his car was found to be 1kg underweight in a separate inspection. Alpine's Pierre Gasly also received a disqualification for a similar weight issue, leaving Alpine without points so far in 2025.

The disqualifications from Hamilton, Leclerc, and Gasly mean that drivers like Esteban Ocon, Kimi Antonelli, and Alex Albon gain positions, and Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz move into the top 10.