The Chinese Grand Prix has taken a dramatic turn after Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Pierre Gasly were disqualified for technical violations discovered during post-race inspections. The penalties have reshuffled the race results and impacted the Formula 1 World Championship standings significantly.

Why was Hamilton disqualified?

Lewis Hamilton, who finished sixth on track, was excluded from the final results due to excessive plank wear on his Mercedes #44. According to the FIA, the car’s underfloor plank must maintain a minimum thickness of 9 mm. Hamilton’s car measured 8.6 mm on the sides and 8.5 mm in the center, violating Article 3.5.9 of the technical regulations.

This ruling strips the seven-time world champion of crucial points in what has already been a challenging season for him and Mercedes.

Leclerc and Gasly penalized for underweight cars

Charles Leclerc was also disqualified after his Ferrari failed to meet the minimum weight requirement of 800 kg. Although the car initially passed inspection, further analysis revealed that after fuel extraction, the car weighed 799 kg — below the legal threshold.

Pierre Gasly suffered a similar fate. The Alpine driver had finished 11th, but once 1.1 kg of fuel was removed for sampling, his car also dipped below the minimum weight, resulting in his disqualification.

Updated Chinese GP results

These disqualifications triggered major changes in the race classification:

• Carlos Sainz (Williams) moves up to 10th, scoring his first point of the season.
• Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) is promoted to 9th, adding two valuable points.
• The victory remains with Oscar Piastri, followed by Lando Norris and George Russell.

✅ Revised Top 10 finishers:

1. Piastri
2. Norris
3. Russell
4. Verstappen
5. Ocon
6. Antonelli
7. Albon
8. Bearman
9. Stroll
10. Sainz