Ferrari have started the year on a poor note after the success they enjoyed with both of their drivers in 2024. In Melbourne, the Prancing Horse could not find any speed in their car. Vasseur had promised the Tifosi that Ferrari would redo everything and emerge as a front runner in China. Chinese Grand Prix came and Ferrari showed early signs of pace. Their tyre management strategy helped them win the sprint race with Lewis Hamilton. The qualifying session was not as fruitful and the Rosso Corsas were relegated to the thrid row in Q3. Ferrari had a tough time throughout the race.
Charles Leclerc faced an early contact and broke off his front wing. He lost a lost of speed due to that and was asked to do damage mitigation throughout the race. Leclerc drove like a man possessed and tried to cover up for the damage as much as possible. Lewis Hamilton on the other hand was struggling to fight against the front runners. At one point, Ferrari swapped cars to let Leclerc attack George for a potential podium finish. Their efforts went in vain when Verstappen gained on them at last resetting them to their qualifying positions. FIA decided to add some extra spice to Ferrari’s depression post race. Ferrari have official scored 0 points in China after their cars were disqualified.
Reason for Ferrari’s Double Disqualification
Ferrari’s double disqualification was based off the post-races checks committed by FIA. According to FIA regulations, every car must undergo certain checks after the race to determine the results. These checks include measuring the skid wear on the bottom planks of the car and checking the weight of the car. Any car that has participated in a race cannot be underweight. It will be immediately disqualified from the race if found racing underweight. Similarly, cars have to minimise skid wear on the bottom planks.
The day was definitely not in favor of Ferrari. They lost Charles Leclerc after he was disqualified for being 1 kg underweight than the legal weight allowed by FIA. Lewis Hamilton was struck down by the FIA due to 0.5mm more rear-ward skid wear.
Ferrari’s Statement
Ferrari’s double disqualification have prompted the cars to release a statement in order to clarify their stance. The weight limit on Leclerc’s car was attributed to his one-stop strategy. He was already racing with damage on his front wing. The tyre graining caused by their one-stop strategy added fuel to the fire. Ferrari was no McLaren, they did not have the pace necessary in order to create a perfect one-stop strategy. Leclerc lost his tyres while battling George Russell throughout the majority of the race. In Lewis’s case, the team has revealed that there was a communication error amongst the team which caused him to undergo more wear on his bottom plate.