Chinese Formula 1 GP Shocker: Ferrari’s Cars Too Light, Hamilton’s Skid Too Thin, McLaren Says ‘Thanks!

The 2025 Formula 1 season delivered major drama at the Chinese Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly were all disqualified after post-race inspections uncovered technical infringements.

Leclerc’s Ferrari and Gasly’s Alpine were found to be underweight after their fuel was drained—each car measured one kilogram below the minimum limit. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s Ferrari failed scrutineering due to excessive skid block wear, falling below the permitted 9mm thickness. Ferrari attributed Leclerc’s underweight issue to high tire wear from a one-stop strategy, while Hamilton’s penalty was blamed on a miscalculation of skid wear.

Shake-up in Race Results and Championship Standings

These disqualifications triggered a major reshuffling in both the race results and the championship:

• Oscar Piastri was promoted to race winner, securing a McLaren one-two finish with Lando Norris in second.
• George Russell (Mercedes) moved up to third place.
• In the revised drivers’ standings, Norris now leads with 44 points, ahead of Max Verstappen (36) and George Russell (35).
• McLaren surged to the top of the constructors' championship with 78 points, followed by Mercedes (57) and Red Bull (36).
• The disqualifications also handed crucial points to drivers like Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman, Lance Stroll, and Carlos Sainz.

With such a chaotic turn of events, the 2025 F1 season is already proving to be one for the history books.