Shanghai, March 23 (LaPresse) – An incredible ending for Ferrari at the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. Charles Leclerc, who finished 5th, was disqualified for having a car that was 1kg underweight according to the regulations. But also disqualified was Lewis Hamilton, who finished 6th, as the stewards found that the floor of his car was too worn down. The decision was announced by the FIA. Pierre Gasly of Alpine was also disqualified.
In the Formula 1 statement, it is noted that after the race, Leclerc was summoned by the stewards for alleged violations of Article 4.1 of the Technical Regulations, a section concerning the weight of the cars. In a report from FIA F1 Technical Delegate Jo Bauer, it was revealed that Leclerc's car weighed exactly 800 kg after it returned to the pits, the minimum required weight by the regulations. Since the front wing had been damaged during the first contact with teammate Hamilton, Leclerc's car was reweighed using the recovered endplate and an official spare front wing, bringing the total weight to 800.5 kg. However, when fuel was drained from the car, removing two liters according to the procedure presented by Ferrari, the weight dropped to 799 kg, just below the minimum requirement. As for Hamilton, a report from the Technical Delegate after the race revealed that, when the wear on the car's floor was checked, it was found to be below the minimum thickness of 9 mm required, which meant the matter was referred to the stewards. Subsequently, Hamilton and a Ferrari representative were required to appear before the stewards, and after the hearing, it was announced that the Briton had been disqualified from the results of Sunday's race. Therefore, Ferrari loses all the points earned, while in the GP standings, Esteban Ocon, Kimi Antonelli, Alex Albon, and Ollie Bearman gain one position, while Lance Stroll also enters the points zone.
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