Shanghai, March 24, 2025 | The champagne was still fizzing from Lewis Hamilton’s sprint win when Ferrari’s Chinese Grand Prix weekend crashed into a nightmare. Just after midnight here at 12:41 AM WAT, the Scuderia’s double whammy hit the headlines: both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who’d crossed the line sixth and fifth, were disqualified hours after the chequered flag waved on Sunday, March 23. A “genuine error,” Ferrari called it two tiny missteps that cost them 18 points and left fans reeling from a rollercoaster weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit.
It was supposed to be a redemption lap for Hamilton, the seven-time champ in his second race with Ferrari after a Melbourne flop. Saturday’s sprint pole and victory his first in red had the paddock buzzing, a defiant middle finger to the doubters. Then came Sunday. Leclerc clipped Hamilton’s rear on Lap 1, snapping off a front wing endplate, but both fought on Leclerc on a one-stop grind, Hamilton pitting twice. They held fifth and sixth as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris locked out the podium’s top steps, with Mercedes’ George Russell third. “Not bad,” mused Ade, a Lagos F1 fan glued to his screen. “Until it all fell apart.”
Post-race scrutineering flipped the script. Leclerc’s car tipped the scales at 799kg -1kg under the FIA’s 800kg minimum after fuel was drained, despite a spare wing (0.2kg heavier) fitted to replace the damaged one. Hamilton’s ride? The rear skid block, part of the underfloor plank, wore down to 8.5mm-0.5mm below the 9mm legal limit. Ferrari owned it: Leclerc’s high tire wear from that one-stop push shed the weight, and Hamilton’s skid wear? “We misjudged the consumption by a small margin,” they said. No intent to cheat, just a slip-up but the stewards didn’t flinch. DQ’d. Done.
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The fallout’s brutal. Ferrari’s 18-point haul vanished, dropping them to fifth in the constructors’ standings, 61 points adrift of McLaren after two races. Hamilton’s stuck on nine points (thanks, sprint) in ninth; Leclerc’s got eight in tenth. “Disaster,” one X post groaned at midday Sunday, while another at 7:59 PM WAT fumed, “Ferrari’s errors are Championship killers.” Haas cashed in Esteban Ocon jumped to fifth, Oliver Bearman to eighth while Williams’ Alex Albon (seventh) and Carlos Sainz (tenth) scooped points too. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, also DQ’d for an underweight car from 11th, left his team pointless.
For Hamilton, it’s déjà vu with a twist. He lost a P2 at the 2023 US GP for the same skid wear glitch at Mercedes ironic, given McLaren’s dominance now echoes his glory days there. Leclerc’s no stranger either; he got the Austin boot too. But this? A double DQ in Ferrari’s first season with Hamilton stings deeper. “We’ll learn,” Ferrari promised, a line that’s got fans like Ade skeptical. “Learn fast, please McLaren’s not waiting.” Posts on X split the mood, some salute Piastri’s “flawless” win, others lament Ferrari’s “basic mistakes.”
The margins are razor-thin in F1-1kg, 0.5mm and Ferrari’s chasing performance, not comfort. Pushing limits is their game, but Shanghai exposed the cost when you miss the mark. Team boss Fred Vasseur, who’s steadied the Scuderia into contender status, now faces a flashback to the “bad old days” of chaos. Hamilton’s mature call to let Leclerc pass mid-race showed teamwork; the pit wall’s fumble undid it. “It’s not how we wanted to end this weekend,” Ferrari admitted, nodding to fans whose “unwavering support” feels tested tonight.
As Shanghai fades into the rearview, the circus rolls to Suzuka April 4-6. McLaren’s 1-2 Piastri’s third win, Norris’ brake-scare second sets the pace. Ferrari’s got soul-searching to do. For Hamilton, fresh off silencing “yapping critics,” it’s a gut punch proof this red dream’s got thorns. “They’re still my team,” Ade shrugged. “But man, this one hurts.” In a sport where tenths decide dynasties, Ferrari’s lesson is clear: perfection’s the only option.