Ferrari superstars Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix

The FIA has disqualified Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc from the 2025 Chinese GP after the aforementioned drivers beached the FIA technical regulations during the Shanghai International Circuit. In addition to the Ferrari stars, the F1 governing body also disqualified Pierre Gasly for the same breach.

As per reports, Leclerc and Gasly's car were found to be lighter, and it breached Article 4.2 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations - Non-compliance with weight regulations. As for Hamilton, the plank of his SF-25 wore off more than the permitted limit.

The minimum limit for the plank thickness as per the rule should be 9mm. However, Hamilton's car had 8.6mm on the left-hand side, 8.6mm on the center-line, and 8.5mm on the right-hand side. As a result, all three drivers were disqualified from the race and lost all the points they acquired.

Leclerc and Hamilton finished the race in P5, and P6 on Tuesday, and came home with a handy 18 points. However, after the disqualification, they lost multiple places in the Drivers' standing as well as in the Constructors' championship.

The 2025 Chinese GP saw Oscar Piastri claim an emphatic win over teammate Lando Norris in Shanghai. The Aussie driver started the race from the pole and came home with a nine-second gap. George Russell finished the race in P3.

Max Verstappen started his from P4 and ended at the same place. Although Leclerc and Hamilton finished the race in P5, and P6, their disqualification changed things down the order.

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Charles Leclerc would have created Ferrari history with P5 finish at Chinese GP

Keeping out the unfortunate disqualification of Charles Leclerc at the Chinese GP, he could have been the driver with the most points as a Ferrari driver. Yes, you read it right, even more than multiple world title winners, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher!

Charles Leclerc of Monaco driving the (16) Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of China at Shanghai International Circuit - Source: Getty

Leclerc, after the disqualification, stands with 1399 points during his seven years of racing in Ferrari so far. Compared to him, Vettel has 1400 points. If there was no disqualification, he could have made it to 1409 and be the Ferrari driver with most points.

Vettel raced for Ferrari from 2015 to 2019, and Schumacher from 1996 to 2006. How did Leclerc score more points than the seven-time world champion? Well, there's a catch. Leclerc has benefited from the revised point system that came into effect in 2010, where a winner gets 25 points, followed by 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 points for the next nine places.

This point system wasn't in effect during Schumacher's era from 1992 to 2000, when the top six drivers were awarded points, and then from 2003 to 2009, the top eight drivers received points. The race winner those days, got 10 points, something that is enjoyed by the P5 driver under the current scenario. The next seven drivers got 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 points respectively.