SHANGHAI — Ferrari`s Formula 1 season faces significant challenges early on. Despite aiming for the constructors` championship last year, they are already trailing McLaren by a considerable 61 points this season. Drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are also far behind Lando Norris in the drivers` standings.
The situation worsened after both Ferrari cars were disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix due to technical violations. Leclerc`s car was underweight by 1 kilogram, and Hamilton`s car had excessive plank wear from being too low.
Ferrari stated that they did not intend to gain an advantage and that the infringements offered minimal performance benefits. However, Formula 1 regulations are strict, leaving no room for errors, regardless of intent.
Why Hamilton was disqualified
The FIA uses a plank, a resin strip on the car`s underside, to regulate car ride height for safety and fair competition. A lower car can improve performance, but excessive plank wear from track contact is penalized.
Regulations specify a plank thickness of 10mm when new, with a minimum allowed wear to 9mm. Hamilton`s plank was found to be excessively worn in multiple areas, leading to his disqualification.
Interestingly, the last similar disqualifications for plank wear occurred at the 2023 U.S. Grand Prix, involving Hamilton (then with Mercedes) and Leclerc.
While the bumpy Austin track contributed to the 2023 incident, Shanghai`s smooth surface eliminates that excuse. Rule changes now allow teams to adjust setups between sprint races and the main grand prix to prevent such issues.
Ferrari admitted to `misjudging the consumption` of the plank, and stewards confirmed it was a genuine mistake without mitigating circumstances.
Why Leclerc was disqualified
Car weight regulations are equally strict. The minimum weight for an F1 car, including the driver but excluding fuel, is 800 kilograms. This limit is checked after each race.
After the Chinese Grand Prix, Leclerc`s Ferrari was found to be underweight during post-race checks. Despite allowing for a replacement of a damaged front wing part, the car remained 1 kilogram below the minimum limit after fuel drainage, resulting in disqualification. Pierre Gasly`s Alpine faced the same issue.
Both cars had employed a one-stop tire strategy, which resulted in higher tire wear than anticipated. Tire wear significantly reduces car weight; a new set of tires weighs 42 kg and can lose up to 3 kg during a long race.
Ferrari attributed Leclerc`s underweight car to excessive tire wear from the one-stop strategy.
However, it`s noted that other teams successfully executed one-stop strategies without violating weight limits. George Russell faced a similar disqualification at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix for an underweight Mercedes.
Ferrari lost 18 points due to these disqualifications, a significant setback that could be crucial in their championship battle against McLaren.
