SHANGHAI – Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Pierre Gasly have been removed from the Chinese Grand Prix results following post-race inspections that revealed technical regulation violations on their cars.
Race stewards conducted separate investigations into the three cars on Sunday evening in Shanghai.
It was determined that Leclerc`s Ferrari and Gasly`s Alpine were underweight, while the skid plank on the underside of Hamilton`s Mercedes showed excessive wear.
Formula 1 regulations stipulate a minimum weight of 800 kilograms for cars after a race, once fuel is drained. Initially, both Leclerc`s Ferrari and Gasly`s Alpine were found to be at this limit.
However, after fuel extraction, both cars were found to be one kilogram below the minimum weight, leading to their disqualification.
Leclerc`s car sustained a front wing breakage in a first-lap incident with Hamilton. However, Ferrari was allowed to replace the damaged wing with a new one before the car`s weight was checked for compliance.
Regarding Hamilton`s car, the wear on the plank – a resin strip on the car`s underside – was measured to be less than the minimum permitted thickness of 9mm.
The FIA measures plank wear to ensure that teams are not running cars at excessively low ride heights for aerodynamic advantage.
In a statement, the stewards explained: “The plank assembly of Car 44 was measured and found to be 8.6mm (left side), 8.6mm (centerline), and 8.5mm (right side). This is below the minimum 9mm thickness mandated by Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations.”
“During the hearing, the team representative confirmed the accuracy of the measurements and that all necessary procedures were correctly followed. The team acknowledged the absence of mitigating circumstances and admitted it was a genuine error.”
Revised Top 10 Standings for Chinese GP After Disqualifications
- Oscar Piastri, McLaren
- Lando Norris, McLaren
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Esteban Ocon, Haas
- Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
- Alex Albon, Williams
- Oliver Bearman, Haas
- Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
- Carlos Sainz, Williams
