Ferrari faced a significant setback in the Chinese Grand Prix at the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit, with a double disqualification due to separate breaches of the technical regulations.
Charles Leclerc’s disqualification occurred because his car was found to be 1kg under the 800kg minimum weight limit when weighed after the race, with all fuel drained. This happened despite the FIA fitting a replacement front wing after Leclerc’s original one was damaged during the race. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton was disqualified due to excessive skid wear, with the skid blocks being 0.5mm under the 9mm minimum requirement. As a result of these infractions, Ferrari lost 18 points and now find themselves trailing Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship after the season’s opening two races.
The start of the 2025 Formula 1 campaign had generated much excitement, especially with the addition of Lewis Hamilton to the Ferrari team, as he pursues his eighth world title with the iconic Maranello-based squad. However, despite high expectations, Ferrari has already faced significant challenges early in the season.
In a discussion about Ferrari’s current performance on the Formel Schmidt podcast, journalist Michael Schmidt revealed insights shared with him by the team. These comments confirm that Ferrari has experienced a noticeable step back compared to their 2024 car, casting doubt on their ability to immediately challenge for top positions in the championship.
One key change Ferrari made to their SF-25 car was an overhaul of the suspension system. This modification was intended to create development opportunities and help close the performance gap to McLaren after their disappointing finish in last year’s Constructors’ Championship. However, Michael Schmidt explained that this change requires the car to be driven at a much lower height than in 2024 to extract the maximum performance. This adjustment is believed to be the primary reason for Ferrari’s rule violations in China, as running the car too low contributed to both Charles Leclerc’s weight issue and Lewis Hamilton’s excessive skid wear.
The combination of regulatory issues and performance struggles early in the season puts Ferrari in a difficult position as they look to regroup and make up ground in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.
Michael Schmidt revealed that Ferrari had raised the car in Melbourne due to concerns about potential issues with the plank. However, they later admitted to him that it was a calculation error, which indicated they were pushing the limits with the car’s ground clearance. The German journalist also noted that, unlike last year when Ferrari had a well-balanced car that worked with a slightly higher ground clearance, this year’s car required an extremely low setup to stay competitive, as seen after the first two races.
Ferrari Faces Uncertainty Over SF-25 Performance After Disqualification in China
Ferrari fans were undoubtedly left frustrated after the team’s disqualification from the Chinese Grand Prix, which has raised serious questions about the performance of their SF-25 car. The team had high hopes heading into the weekend, especially after Lewis Hamilton’s impressive start, where he secured pole position for the Sprint race and went on to claim his first win with Ferrari on Saturday, managing to hold off a strong challenge from Max Verstappen.
However, despite the promising results earlier in the weekend, Ferrari’s race weekend ended on a sour note. The disqualification, which followed a technical breach, has brought their ability to compete with top teams like McLaren into question. While Ferrari initially believed the SF-25 had the potential to fight for victory, the setbacks in China have cast doubt on whether the car is truly competitive enough to challenge for podium finishes regularly.
With the 2025 season proving to be more challenging than expected, Ferrari will now look to Japan as an opportunity to bounce back and regain momentum. As the season progresses, the team is under increasing pressure to fine-tune the SF-25 and address its weaknesses, especially in light of the competition’s rising performance.
