Ferrari: a devastating blow in Shanghai, Suzuka already decisive

Everything as before. The Chinese Grand Prix turned back the clock, meaning Ferrari returned to being the usual Ferrari, very similar to the 2024 version, namely a team that tries but struggles, suffers, attempts two different strategies, yet in the end loses around four-tenths per lap and finishes in fifth with Charles Leclerc and sixth place with Lewis Hamilton) at the end of an anonymous race, certainly below expectations and never really in a position to challenge McLaren, the absolute dominator with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris on Sunday at the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit.

But if things had only gone this way, it would have been somewhat normal. Instead, three hours after the race ended, a devastating blow arrived: Charles Leclerc was disqualified because his car was found to be underweight by 1 kilogram, and Lewis Hamilton was disqualified for excessive wear on the car’s floor. Two cars removed from the classification for two different reasons, something painful for the most prestigious team in Formula 1. These were not shocking infractions that gave Ferrari any major advantage or impacted the result. But it takes very little to be outside the rules, and the FIA was ruthless.

Under normal conditions, three teams had finished ahead of Ferrari in Shanghai: McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull. Too many, even with all the mitigating factors. The only positive was that the gaps were not enormous compared to Mercedes and Red Bull, confirming the anomaly of Melbourne and the fact that Ferrari was not (and is not) that bad or that far from the top overall. Charles Leclerc, with a damaged front wing from an accidental collision with Lewis Hamilton in the opening corners, stated at the finish line that without the damage, which caused a loss of grip, he could have even fought for victory. A bit too optimistic? Perhaps, but the Monegasque driver is not one to make empty claims. In any case, Charles Leclerc needed to bounce back after an underwhelming Sprint race, and he did so in style, defending well and being faster than his Maranello teammate, the opposite of the previous day, when Lewis Hamilton dominated the mini-grand prix, salvaging Ferrari’s Asian trip.

McLaren had no rivals, with Lando Norris finally making a good start and immediately taking second place from George Russell. However, Oscar Piastri controlled the race, set the pace, and gained enough confidence to boldly declare that he is now aiming for the 2025 Formula 1 championship. Lando Norris, the championship leader, certainly does not agree. But the reality is that McLaren currently has an advantage over everyone. Mercedes is the second force, with George Russell making few mistakes and always finishing near the front, though the car is not on McLaren’s level. Then there is Red Bull, with Max Verstappen staying under the radar for three-quarters of the race before unleashing his full potential, brilliantly overtaking Charles Leclerc. However, at the moment, his car has too many shortcomings.

In the end, as we said, the cold shower from race control hit Ferrari. The missing kilogram on Charles Leclerc’s car was a miscalculation, these things happen to everyone. Last year, George Russell dominated the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa but was excluded from the classification for the same reason. As for Lewis Hamilton’s floor infraction, Ferrari is paying the price for having to run ‘higher’ to avoid excessive skid wear. In the Sprint race, with little fuel and limited mileage, the wear was insignificant, but in a full race, with more weight and more laps to cover, Ferrari was forced into a different setup, and something went wrong.

Now Formula 1 takes a one-week break before returning to the track in Suzuka. That will be the first real test for everyone, especially for Ferrari, which has won one of the three races but is still far from convincing. And, above all, after the Shanghai incident, it will now have to take a hard look at itself.