Red Bull F1 hit with deleted lap FIA ruling at Chinese Grand Prix

Thumbnail for article regarding FIA remark on Red Bull brakes — Photo: © IMAGO

Chinese Grand Prix

Red Bull hit with deleted lap FIA ruling at Chinese Grand Prix

Red Bull have been hit with some deleted laps in China

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 21 March 2025 12:57

The FIA have revealed some deleted lap times from the Chinese Grand Prix, with Red Bull subject to an official verdict.

An FIA document revealed that Liam Lawson was among six drivers to have had a lap deleted during sprint qualifying for exceeding the time limit between the safety car lines set by the stewards before the session.

Lawson struggled once again with his new team on the first day of action at the Chinese GP, and is set to start Saturday's sprint race from last position.

Article continues under video

Despite Sergio Perez's qualifying struggles in 2024, a Red Bull was not seen in last position in either sprint qualifying or main race qualifying throughout the whole season, highlighting Lawson's dismal day.

His team-mate Max Verstappen, meanwhile, qualified for the sprint race up in second position, and will start on the front row alongside 2021 championship rival Lewis Hamilton.

Red Bull star set to start last

Lawson did not manage to score any points on his Red Bull debut in Australia, and faces a huge task to be able to do that across the 100km sprint race on Saturday.

Alongside Lawson, a number of other big names had lap times deleted for the same infringement, including Oscar Piastri, Kimi Antonelli, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon and Lawson's former team-mate Yuki Tsunoda.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, faced an official investigation for allegedly driving unnecessarily slowly in sprint qualifying, and was summoned by the FIA post-session.

An official FIA document cleared the driver of any wrongdoing with an explanation for the decision given by the stewards.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen’s Red Bull exit date revealed as FIA protest ramps up

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari FIA Charles Leclerc