By Kwame Bediako
Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix due to a technical infringement on his Ferrari. The seven-time world champion’s car was found to have one of its skid blocks worn down to less than the required thickness after the race.
This isn’t Hamilton’s first run-in with technical issues, having been disqualified from the 2023 United States Grand Prix for a similar problem while driving for Mercedes.
Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly have also been disqualified, with their cars deemed underweight in post-race checks. Leclerc’s high tyre wear due to his one-stop race strategy was cited as the cause of the weight breach, while Ferrari acknowledged misjudging the consumption of Hamilton’s skid wear “by a small margin”.
The Italian team emphasised that there was “no intention to gain any advantage” from the technical oversights.
The disqualification costs Hamilton his sixth-place finish in the main grand prix, which followed his victory in the sprint race in Shanghai on Saturday, his first win for his new team. Ferrari has vowed to learn from the mistakes and ensure they don’t happen again. The team’s statement conveyed a sense of accountability and a commitment to upholding the rules of the sport.
Formula 1 cars rely on skid blocks to maintain a certain ride height and prevent them from running too low. These blocks are situated in the underfloor wooden plank, which has a minimum depth to ensure fair competition.
If a skid block is worn down too much, it can confer a performance advantage, allowing the car to run lower than it should.
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