Double Ferrari disqualification: the curious Charles Leclerc – Lewis Hamilton precedent. Ferrari's double disqualification has an intriguing precedent.

Melbourne wasn’t enough—Shanghai also delivers a knockout blow to a struggling Prancing Horse just two races into the season. Ferrari’s double disqualification in China nullifies its efforts and brings an unpleasant déjà vu for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, echoing back to 2023.

Ferrari faced a double disqualification in the Chinese GP, with both Maranello cars found in breach of multiple regulations, leading to an automatic FIA decision. Leclerc and Hamilton were removed from the classification of the 2025 Shanghai Grand Prix, stripping Frederic Vasseur’s team of the fifth and sixth positions they had secured at the checkered flag.

Double Ferrari disqualification: the Lewis Hamilton – Charles Leclerc precedent
For Ferrari, Shanghai marks its first disqualification in nearly two years. The last time the Italian team faced a DSQ in F1 was in 2023, when Charles Leclerc was also excluded. That incident occurred at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, where the Monegasque lost his sixth-place finish due to an irregularity with the car’s floor. Leclerc’s plank was found to be thinner than the 9mm required by regulations.

At the end of that race in Texas, Charles Leclerc was not the only driver to be disqualified—his current teammate, Lewis Hamilton, received the same penalty from the FIA. At the time still with Mercedes, the British champion had finished the race in second place. Like Charles Leclerc, his disqualification was also due to a floor-related irregularity.