Lewis Hamilton reacts to Chinese GP prior to shock disqualification
Hamilton had crossed the line in sixth but later suffered a DQ along with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly of Alpine
Lewis Hamilton’s rollercoaster start to life at Ferrari continued as he was dramatically disqualified after the conclusion of the Chinese Grand Prix.
After the highs of Saturday’s victory in the sprint race, having shockingly qualified on pole the previous day, Hamilton’s weekend took a downward turn come Sunday’s full race.
Having made contact with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc on the opening lap, causing damage to the Monegasque’s front wing, the Brit struggled for pace around the Shanghai racetrack – resorting to a two-stop strategy in the desperate hope that fresh tyres would help him find some extra speed.
That turned out to be a forlorn hope however, as he eventually crossed the line in sixth, one spot behind Leclerc and well off the pace of dominant McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris up front, who sealed a one-two.
Things then got worse for the seven-time world champion as he was disqualified after the race, seeing the eight points wiped from his championship tally. It was an incredibly busy post-race period for the stewards and F1 officials as Leclerc and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly were also disqualified alongside Hamilton.
Why was Lewis Hamilton disqualified?
Hamilton’s Ferrari failed its post-race checks, with the car’s skid block found to be below the minimum thickness. According to FIA rules, that warrants a disqualification.
Analysis from the scrutineers showed that the rearmost skid thickness was below the minimum limit of 9mm, registering 8.6mm at two points and 8.5mm at another.
A document released explaining the decision read: “The plank assembly of Car 44 was measured and found to be 8.6mm (LHS), 8.6mm (car centerline) and 8.5mm (RHS). This is below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations.
“During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.
