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For the Ferrari and Alpine drivers, the Chinese Grand Prix was far from the expected result. Although they had hoped for success, those hopes were quickly dashed by technical irregularities in their cars. The drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, faced disqualification for technical faults, and their 10 points they had won in the race quickly disappeared.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also faced similar problems, as his car and those of his teammates were subjected to similar problems.
Technical irregularities in Leclerc and Gasly’s cars
What particularly worried the teams was the fact that Leclerc and Gasly’s cars, after removing the fuel, weighed just 799 kg – one kilogram less than the minimum permitted weight.
This weight error came to light after Leclerc had to replace a damaged front wing with a spare during technical weigh-in. According to the FIA report, the Ferrari team had to be penalized because they were under the weight limit, which directly affected the final result of the race.
At the same time, Gasly was unlucky. Although he was also subject to the same technical problems, the FIA report clearly indicated irregularities in his car. As far as both teams were concerned, their mistake was clear: there was no excuse and no exceptions were requested.
Hamilton's skid plate problem
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton, the Ferrari driver, faced a different problem. On his car, more precisely on the rear skid plate, excessive wear was detected, which resulted in the thickness of the plate not meeting the minimum requirement of 9 mm. Here, the FIA clearly showed that they had taken measurements according to the rules, and the results were indisputable: the thickness of the plate was less than it should be. This omission was sufficient reason for disqualification.
Consequences for teams and drivers
These technical errors had huge consequences. Leclerc and Hamilton lost important points that they needed to continue competing, while Gasly and his team also suffered a severe blow. The teams admitted that they had made a mistake, but it was not enough to change the outcome.
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