Lewis Hamilton's F1 disqualification prompts FIA rule change call

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Hamilton disqualification prompts FIA rule change call

Lewis Hamilton was disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 26 March 2025 08:56 Updated: 22:34

Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix has prompted a call to change the FIA’s rules.

The champion was disqualified from Sunday’s race after Hamilton’s plank underneath the car was found to have excessive wear 0.5mm below the minimum thickness of the 9mm mandated by the FIA's regulations.

Hamilton was found to be in breach of Article 3.5.9 of the technical regulations, which earnt the 40-year-old an instant disqualification after Ferrari confirmed it was a genuine error.

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However, former Ferrari driver Rene Arnoux believes that the punishment was too severe, and called for the FIA to relax the rules when it came to breaches as miniscule as skid block wear.

Should the FIA relax their rules after Hamilton disqualification?

"I exclude that there was any intention to cheat. If Leclerc's car had been 10 kg underweight, if the irregularity on Hamilton's had been more obvious, we could talk about it. But like this? We are talking trivial details, evidently accidental,” Arnoux said to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Certainly, it cannot be ignored. Especially since weight is a fundamental element.

“But if everything is so complicated, if millimetres are enough to change performance and if having everything under control is so difficult, then it would be a good idea to give a range within which irregularities lead to a first warning and only the second time you break the rule does the actual sanction come into play.

“A disqualification is too severe, plus it has repercussions on the entire championship, not just on the team and the driver who suffer it."

Charles Leclerc was also disqualified from the Chinese GP after his Ferrari was found to be 1kg underweight, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also disqualified from the race for the same reason.

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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes FIA Chinese Grand Prix René Arnoux