Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix, and the same fate befell Alpina’s Pierre Gasly.
During post-race scrutineering, Leclerc and Gasly’s cars were found to weigh 799 kg after fuel was removed, one kilogram below the minimum weight limit. In Leclerc’s case, a damaged front wing was replaced with a spare during the weigh-in.
“After the race, car number 16 was weighed and weighed 800. kg, which is the minimum weight required by TR article 4.1. As the front wing was damaged (the missing wing tip was found and measured together with the car), the car was re-weighed with the official spare front wing of car 16 and then weighed 800.5 kg. Afterwards, the car was drained and 2.0 liters of fuel were removed. The draining procedure was carried out according to the procedure submitted by the team in its legality document,” reported FIA delegate Jo Bauer.
“The car was re-weighed on the FIA scales (with the spare front wing of car 16) and weighed 799.0 kg. The calibration of the scales was confirmed and checked by another team. For information, the spare front wing was 0.2 kg heavier than the damaged one used during the race. This is 1.0 kg below the minimum weight required by TR article 4.1,” it added.
On the other hand, Hamilton’s car had excessive skid plate wear, with the rear skid plate falling below the minimum permitted thickness of 9 mm, as stipulated by the technical regulations.
“The rear skid plate was measured according to the team legality document in accordance with TD039 L, point 1.2 b) i). The measurements were taken along the area aligned with the stiffness at three different points along the inner arc. The values recorded were 8.6 mm (left side), 8.6 mm (car centre line) and 8.5 mm (right side). As these values are less than the minimum permitted thickness of 9 mm according to TR article 3.5.9 e),” the FIA pointed out.
In separate hearings with the judges, neither Ferrari nor Alpine representatives made excuses for the omission, as Gasly was also reported: “During the hearing, the team representative confirmed that the measurement was correct and that all necessary procedures were carried out correctly,” the judges noted in each case. “The team also admitted that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine team error.”
Leclerc and Hamilton lost their points from fifth and sixth place, a big blow for Ferrari, while Gasly already finished outside the top 10 in 11th place.
The revised result means Esteban Ocon has moved up to a sensational fifth place, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman have also moved up. Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz have moved into the top 10.
