FIA announce Charles Leclerc disqualification verdict ahead of Canadian Grand Prix

The FIA have announced the outcome of a series of tests ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix for Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc – one of which could have seen the Monegasque driver disqualified.

At the end of every race a random driver is selected from the top 10 to undergo a series of rigorous tests to check their car is in compliance with the technical regulations, with Leclerc selected after the Spanish GP.

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As usual, the FIA have announced the findings from these tests the following weekend, where physical inspections were carried out on Leclerc’s rear brake system.

One aspect of the inspections in particular could have landed the Ferrari star in trouble, with Article 11.1.2 of the technical regulations stating that ‘the brake system must be designed so that within each circuit, the forces applied to the brake pads are the same magnitude and act as opposing pairs on a given brake disc.

‘Any system or mechanism which can produce systematically or intentionally, asymmetric braking torques for a given axle is forbidden.’

Therefore, if Leclerc’s car was found to be in breach of this during the inspections he would have been disqualified from the Spanish GP.

Thankfully for Leclerc and Ferrari, all inspected components were found to be in compliance with the technical regulations and no penalties were applied.

Leclerc and Ferrari avoid disqualification

Ferrari would have been glad to avoid disqualification after the team’s double disqualification earlier this year at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Both Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc were stripped of their sixth and fifth place finishes, after Leclerc’s car was 1kg under the 800kg car weight limit and Hamilton's plank underneath the car had excessive wear by half a millimetre.

If Leclerc had been disqualified from the Spanish GP it would have been an even costlier loss of points than in China, after he secured third place and a spot on the podium.

The 27-year-old has achieved three podium finishes in 2025 and alongside Hamilton has helped Ferrari rocket up to second in the constructors’ championship ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull.

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