Lewis Hamilton fined and Ferrari’s championship dreams shattered after China GP chaos

Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari are engaging in a heated exchange after a disastrous Chinese Grand Prix on March 23, 2025, where both cars were disqualified, wiping out 18 valuable championship points in one fell swoop. Charles Leclerc’s SF-25 tipped the scales 1kg underweight, while Hamilton’s skid plate wore 0.5mm over the legal limit – technical violations that turned a promising weekend into a PR nightmare. The FIA’s post-race inspection exposed these flaws, igniting a media firestorm and raising serious questions about Ferrari’s reliability in the 2025 season. With McLaren and Red Bull already flexing their muscles, this double disqualification could be a grim omen for the Scuderia’s title aspirations.

Drama unfolded in Shanghai as Ferrari’s cars underwent routine checks. Leclerc, who finished fifth despite a lap 1 clash with Hamilton that damaged his front wing, initially weighed in at 800.0kg, the minimum required by Article 4.1 of the FIA’s technical regulations. But after draining 2 litres of fuel, the scales read 799.0kg, a kilogram shy of compliance. Hamilton’s sixth-place finish met a similar fate. His rear skid block, designed to prevent illegal ride heights, was measured at 8.5–8.6mm – 0.5mm below the mandatory 9mm threshold. FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer flagged both violations in Document 77 and stewards quickly disqualified the duo, wiping Ferrari’s Sunday from the record books.

Ferrari’s response was swift but grim. “There was no intention to gain any advantage,” the team said, admitting to “a genuine mistake” in incorrect skid plate wear and weight projections. The missteps stem from a bold one-off strategy shift mid-race, prompted by unexpected tyre degradation and grip changes. Sources suggest Leclerc’s car burned fuel and rubber faster than expected, while Hamilton’s aggressive setup pushed the skid plate over the limit. No performance advantage was gained, but in the cutthroat world of F1, intent doesn’t matter: compliance does. This isn’t Hamilton’s first rodeo; a similar board wear violation cost him a podium at the 2023 US Grand Prix with Mercedes, now haunting him in his second Ferrari outing.

The fallout is seismic. Ferrari entered 2025 touting a revamped technical and leadership structure, but Shanghai exposes loyal operational cracks. Analysts point to a breakdown in execution under pressure: two separate failures in a sign of a deeper weekend. The pit wall’s mid-race pivot, while tactically sound, ignored the razor-thin margins of modern F1. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly faced an identical fate with his underweight car, reinforcing the dangers of single-stop gambling. Meanwhile, rivals McLaren and Red Bull ran cleaner races, widening the gap as Ferrari faltered in the control room rather than on track.

Hamilton, under intense scrutiny after his blockbuster move to Ferrari, now faces a legacy-defining season overshadowed by technical issues. Leclerc’s frustration is palpable and the pit wall is on guard: every call now carries existential weight. With just three races down, Ferrari’s hot tub could snowball against relentless competition. Fans have vented disappointment online, but the team’s plea for patience rings with no evidence of change. As the storm gathers steam, one thing is clear: Ferrari’s title hopes hinge on fixing these systemic slumps before Red Bull and McLaren fall out of reach.