Both Ferrari drivers and Pierre Gasly are at risk of disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix after their cars failed post-race technical checks.
Charles Leclerc and Gasly’s cars were found to weight 799 kilograms after post-race checks, including the removal of fuel, were performed. The minimum weight limit is set at 800kg.Lewis Hamilton’s car failed a check of its rearmost skid, which is required to measure at least nine millimetres. Three measurements of of Hamilton’s skid at different points were less than this.
Representatives of Ferrari and Alpine have been summoned to meet the stewards.
The discrepancies were reported by FIA Formula 1 technical delegate Jo Bauer who has reported the matters to the stewards. The standard penalty for cars which fail technical checks is disqualification, as happened to George Russell in the Belgian Grand Prix last year, which he won before his car was found to be beneath the minimum weight limit.
Leclerc finished fifth in today’s race, Hamilton sixth and Gasly 11th. If all three drivers are disqualified, Lance Stroll will inherit ninth place and Carlos Sainz Jnr will move up to 10th.
Leclerc lost part of his front wing when he made contact with Lewis Hamilton at the start of the race. The stewards took this into account by comparing the weight of his damaged wing with that of a spare provided by Ferrari. The undamaged wing was 200 grams heavier.
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Technical delegate’s reports on Leclerc, Gasly and Hamilton’s cars
After the race, car number 16 [Leclerc] was weighed and its weight was 800.0 kg, which is the minimum weight required by TR Article 4.1. As the front wing was damaged (the missing FW endplate was recovered and weighed with the car), the car was re-weighed with an [official] spare front wing assembly of car 16 and its weight was 800.5 kg.
After this, fuel was drained out of the car and 2.0 litres of fuel were removed. The car was drained according to the draining procedure submitted by the team in their legality document. The car was weighed again on the FIA scales (with the [official] spare front wing assembly of car 16) and the weight was 799.0 kg. The calibration of the scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor. For information the spare front wing was 0.2 kg heavier than the damaged one used during the race.
As this is 1.0 kg below the minimum weight requested in TR Article 4.1, which also has to be respected at all times during the competition, I am referring this matter to the Stewards for their consideration.
After the race, car number 10 [Gasly] was weighed and its weight was 800.0 kg, which is the minimum weight required by TR Article 4.1. After this, a fuel mass check was carried out and 1.1 kg of fuel were removed. The car was drained according to the draining procedure submitted by the team in their legality document. The car was weighed again on the FIA scales and the weight was 799.0 kg. The calibration of the scales was confirmed and witnessed by the competitor.
As this is 1.0 kg below the minimum weight requested in TR Article 4.1, which also has to be respected at all times during the competition, I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration.
The skid wear of car number 44 was checked.
The rearmost skid was measured according to the team’s legality documents submission in accordance with TD039 L, item 1.2 b) i). Measurements were taken along the stiffness compliant area at three different points of the periphery (inner arc). The recorded measurement were 8.6mm (LHS), 8.6mm (car centerline) and 8.5mm (RHS).
As this is less than the 9 mm minimum thickness required by TR Article 3.5.9 e), I am referring this matter to the stewards for their consideration.
Update: Official: Leclerc and Gasly disqualified over technical infringements
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Jere (@jerejj)
23rd March 2025, 10:47
In hindsight, Ferrari should’ve changed the front wing during the race to avoid ending up below the weight limit by a full kilogram, with disqualification consequently being inevitable.
All in all, both Leclerc’s & Gasly’s situations are open-&-shut like Russell’s in Belgium last season.
S Arkazam
23rd March 2025, 10:56
Also hindsight; better to read the article before attacking your keyboard :P
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd March 2025, 11:01
S Arkazam I was simply pointing out the obvious because the front wing damage definitely has at least some impact on the outcome of ending up underweight, although the info about Hamilton’s also inevitable-DSQ matter arrived separately.
Riccard
23rd March 2025, 11:12
The point is that the car was re-weighed with a spare front wing attached, and it was still under. Therefore changing the wing would have made no difference. This was mentioned in the article.
Gilles Amon (@gillesamon)
23rd March 2025, 11:23
“I was simply pointing out the obvious […]”
Perhaps we could all benefit from focusing on contributions that go beyond the obvious?
S Arkazam
23rd March 2025, 13:31
Why point something out which is obviously wrong?
1) the article spelt it out; and
2) you should obviously know that the endplate would never weigh a kilogram.
Often you make interesting contributions; on statistics, historical events and the weather.
But then again there are these comments where it seems you rush to write something, rather than considering the obvious or failing to distinguish between opinion and fact.
There is no trophy on this site for most comments. :P
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd March 2025, 13:55
Don’t be surprised if people make comments and then don’t even bother to read for replies, when there’s criticism like this, I stopped a long time ago.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd March 2025, 13:56
check for replies*
DaveW (@dmw)
23rd March 2025, 14:24
The wing may have contributed to the extra tire wear which was the cause of the underweight per Ferrari.
Simon
23rd March 2025, 16:37
Agree with S Arkazam. @jerejj has been (and always will be) the occy of Racefans
Red Andy (@red-andy)
23rd March 2025, 10:49
A shame for Leclerc, who drove a solid race with a damaged car, but rules is rules.
Osnola
23rd March 2025, 10:50
That frontvwing was extremly flexible and prone to break during the entire race.
Should always be a dsq.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
23rd March 2025, 11:11
I thought that too.
On cornering, it looked like it was touching the floor.
lynn-m
23rd March 2025, 11:31
disqualifying a car because a front wing is damaged would be ridiculous.
just hows how far the show that used to be a sport has fallen that ‘fans’ even think that.
guess modern ‘fans’ would be calling for gilles villeneuve to be banned for dragging his ferrari back to the pits with a wheel hanging off at zandvoort in 1979….. something fans at the time loved to see and one of the most iconic images and played back clips in the history of the SPORT!
but then its clear that most modern ‘fans’ have no idea what the SPORT is because they just see it as a show.
real shame should all be forced to watch some of the real racing from the past when it was a SPORT to learn about what the SPORT really is meant to be!
Osnola
23rd March 2025, 12:09
Hardly a modern fan :)
But it has nothing to do with brave races of the past.
The rules changed over the years as did the years itself.
Driving a car thats losing parts and had a serious possibility of losing more parts should always be a reaeon to repair it when possible (they choose not to change the wing!) Or driving in an illegal car: so DSQ.
If it is a sport to threaten the life of other contestants your on the wrong sport.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
23rd March 2025, 10:57
Apparently Hamilton is at risk of disqualification too!
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd March 2025, 11:01
Yes, I just read the FIA document about his situation.
rprp
23rd March 2025, 11:02
Slam dunk for all three, I’d imagine.
Dom (@3dom)
23rd March 2025, 11:07
Yep
Kotrba
23rd March 2025, 11:03
Wow, Ferrari! Two technical DSQ for two unrelated technical infringements.
Not even Mercedes managed that in their 2022-2024 years.
debaser91
23rd March 2025, 11:03
Those are all slam dunk DSQs. Ferrari having an absolute shocker to start this season.
Means Stroll and Sainz get the last points then. Stroll has actually done a reasonable job to start this season, had a good clean race last week and got good points and did OK with the one stop starting on hards this time.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
23rd March 2025, 11:27
I’m quite disturbed about how well Lance is doing this season to be honest.
I might have to start feeling positive about his participation for a change.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
23rd March 2025, 15:02
that’s because they are building the car around him. And like Vettel, Alonso will be discarded eventually for the next hotness.
Oople
23rd March 2025, 11:10
Ocon up to 5th if this shakes out?! Blimey!
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
23rd March 2025, 11:14
Only Ferrari could win a Sprint Race and then get both cars DSQd the next day!
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
23rd March 2025, 11:20
When you think it can’t get any worse…
Davethechicken
23rd March 2025, 16:54
I wish I didn’t support Ferrari. They always manage it, somehow.
Neil (@neilosjames)
23rd March 2025, 11:25
Surprised to see two teams fail at the absolute basics at the same race. You could perhaps put Hamilton’s plank fail down to limited car setup time due to it being a sprint weekend, but not the underweight cars.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
23rd March 2025, 11:47
@neilosjames Now that you mention it, I seem to remember Hamilton’s last technical DQ was also for an overworn plank on a sprint race weekend, and lack of setup time was also considered a likely reason the team got it wrong. A coincidence that it happened to Hamilton both times I’m sure, but interesting.
RH
23rd March 2025, 11:32
Leclerc handshake Hamilton happily getting disqualified twice together in two years for driving illegal cars.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
23rd March 2025, 13:59
True, I think that was in austin, when hamilton got close to winning at a time where verstappen was otherwise unbeatable.
I believe there was also a sprint race back then, seems to be a pattern because of parc ferme.
RH
26th March 2025, 21:02
Yes eventful race that.