Lewis Hamilton's second stint with Ferrari ended in a surprise disqualification after he was caught using a banned car at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.
Hamilton crossed the line in sixth place, earning eight points. However, three hours after the chequered flag was waved in Shanghai, he was excluded from the results after a slip block was found under his Ferrari, which was half a millimetre out of order.
On a dreadful day for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, who finished one place ahead of Hamilton, was also disqualified from the classification for being one kilogram underweight. Alpine's Pierre Gasly, who finished 11th, became the third driver to be disqualified for a similar offence.
Hamilton, who had had a difficult day in China trying to find pace, was called before the stewards at 7.15pm local time. The FIA's verdict came just eight minutes later, with Ferrari admitting a “real mistake”.
In a statement, the FIA said: “The assembly bars of car 44 (Lewis Hamilton) were measured to be 8.6mm (left side), 8.6mm (car centreline) and 8.5mm (right side). This is below the minimum permitted thickness of 9mm specified in Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations.
“During the hearing, a team representative confirmed that the measurements were accurate and all necessary procedures were carried out correctly.
“The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine mistake on the part of the team.”
The support bars in the wooden floor are of a minimum thickness so that the driver cannot gain an advantage if his car is below the permitted level.
It is Hamilton's second disqualification in 18 months, after he was stripped of his second seat at the 2023 United States Grand Prix for a similar offence committed while driving for Mercedes.
Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris as McLaren secured a one-two finish, while Hamilton's former Mercedes team-mate George Russell completed the podium. World Champion Max Verstappen finished fourth.
However, Ferrari's double disqualification lifted Esteban Ocon to fifth for Haas, with replacement
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
