Why Ferrari's Chinese GP Blunder Is A Big Worry For Lewis Hamilton

Forbes

24-03-2025

One day is a long time in Formula 1, just ask Lewis Hamilton.
The second weekend of the season began triumphantly for the Briton, who won his first race for Ferrari as he took the chequered flag in the sprint race in Shanghai on Saturday before taking pole-position a day earlier.
The seven-time world champion seized the moment to hit back at the 'yapping' critics, who had questioned his decision to join the Italian marque after he finished 10th on his debut with the Scuderia in Melbourne a week ago.
'People just love to be negative at any opportunity. Even with the smallest things, they'll just be negative about it,' Hamilton said.
'That's just the difficult time that we're living in.'
The feel-good factor did not last.
Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc finished sixth and fifth on Sunday respectively, before being disqualified for two technical infringements.
Post-race checks revealed a regulatory breach on the skid blocks of Hamilton's Ferrari.
Measurements at the rear of the planks recorded a 8.6mm thickness on two points and 8.5mm at another, falling below the minimum 9mm requirement and triggering an automatic disqualification.
'The plank assembly of Car 44 was measured and found to be 8.6mm (LHS), 8.6mm (car centerline) and 8.5mm (RHS)," a statement from the FIA, world motorsports' governing body, said.
"This is below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations.
'During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly.
'The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.'
Leclerc, meanwhile, was disqualified along with Alpine's Pierre Gasly after their cars were both deemed underweight.
Ferrari attributed the weight breach to the high tyre wear on the Monegasque's car, which was due to his one-stop strategy.
'We slightly underestimated the wear on the skid block on Hamilton's car,' the team said in a statement.
'There was no attempt to gain any unfair advantage. We will learn from today's events to ensure we don't repeat these mistakes.'
The disqualifications leave Ferrari already playing catch up against its rivals.
The Italian team is fifth in the constructors' standings with just 17 points, already 61 adrift of reigning world champion McLaren, with Mercedes second with 57 points ahead of Red Bull with 36.
The Papaya completed a 1-2 finish in China with Oscar Piastri winning ahead of Lando Norris, while George Russell finished third and Max Verstappen in fourth.
Esteban Ocon was promoted to fifth after the two Ferraris were disqualified, with Kimi Antonelli sixth for Mercedes, ahead of Alexander Albon in the first Williams and Ocon's Haas teammate Oliver Bearman.
Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin and former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz completed the top 10.
Norris leads the drivers' standings with 44 points, eight clear of Verstappen, who has scored all of Red Bull's points so far, and nine ahead of Russell.
With nine and eight points respectively, Hamilton and Leclerc are miles behind their direct rivals.
Ferrari's admission is as honest as it is troubling, for these were two critical miscalculations in the car setup that were entirely avoidable.
So slim are the margins in Formula 1 that everything is pushed to the limit to improve performances, but a double disqualification was a serious blunder on Ferrari's part.
This was not just a lapse in judgment or a gamble, rather the second time in as many races the Scuderia exhibited a concerning lack of clarity.
A week ago in Melbourne, Ferrari waited too long to pit Hamilton as heavy rain hit the track, which resulted in the 40-year-old dropping from first to tenth.
On Sunday, Hamilton and Leclerc collided on the opening lap, with the Briton damaging the Monegasque's front wing in the process.
As Hamilton struggled for pace, Ferrari switched him to a two-stop strategy, which failed to deliver.
Ferrari's unhealthy reputation for muddling their decisions looked to have been eradicated last year in Fred Vasseur's first season as team principal, but the issue has reared its head again over the opening two races of 2025.
Even more concerning, the Scuderia appears to have gone backward over the winter.
Ferrari finished second in the constructors' standings last season, coming within 14 points of winning a first title since 2008.
Hamilton's arrival was expected to make Ferrari one of the teams to beat, but rather than closing the gap to McLaren, the Italian marque has fallen behind Mercedes and Red Bull.
Vasseur attributed the lack of pace in Melbourne to the rainy conditions and his confidence seemed justified as Hamilton won the sprint on Saturday.
But Ferrari struggled in qualifying and never had the pace to trouble the leaders on Sunday.
A slow start last year was rectified by a drastic improvement in performances in the second half of the season, but the Maranello team cannot afford to give its rivals another head start.
Or else, Hamilton may join his critics in questioning his decision to sign for Ferrari.