Lewis Hamilton facing shock FIA disqualification at Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton in front of the FIA flag — Photo: © IMAGO

Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton facing shock FIA disqualification at Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has been noted by the FIA

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 23 March 2025 12:10 Updated: 16:28

Lewis Hamilton could be facing disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix, after an official FIA document revealed he was found to have excessive wearing on his car's skid blocks.

OFFICIAL: FIA announce disqualification verdict for THREE F1 drivers at Chinese Grand Prix

Hamilton finished sixth at the Shanghai International Circuit, and struggled to match the pace of his team-mate Charles Leclerc.

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The FIA have suggested that the wear on his skid blocks were around 8.6mm, below the required 9mm, and he has been referred to the stewards for the matter.

Hamilton was disqualified from the 2023 US GP while he was driving with Mercedes for a similar infringement, and could be set to face that penalty again, should the stewards decide to act.

Hamilton and Leclerc at threat of Chinese GP disqualification

Leclerc was also disqualified from that particular 2023 race for excessive wear on his skid blocks, showing the FIA have a zero tolerance approach to the issue.

In the ground effect era, cars are setup to run as low to the ground as possible in order to perform better aerodynamically, but there is that 9mm skid block rule in place to avoid teams making their ride height too low and scraping along the track.

In a separate issue, Leclerc and Alpine's Pierre Gasly could also be set to face disqualification from the race after their cars were found to be underweight, as confirmed by a separate official FIA document.

Leclerc finished one position ahead of Hamilton in the main race, but Ferrari could now be set to lose the points of both drivers.

Hamilton's alleged infringement would not affect his sprint race result, however, where he managed to claim victory in his Ferrari earlier in the weekend.

The FIA have now issued their verdict, with three F1 stars disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix.

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Lewis Hamilton Mercedes FIA Charles Leclerc Alpine Shanghai International Circuit