Former Ferrari driver believes China disqualification “was too harsh” and proposes an alternative. Rene Arnoux suggests a solution and predicts Ferrari in the title fight. .

After Australia, then China: following a repeat disaster at the start of the season, Ferrari is now searching for solutions to redeem itself after the Shanghai disqualification and rejoin the championship battle. However, the FIA’s double red card for the Scuderia is excessively harsh—at least according to an optimistic René Arnoux.

Repeated missteps: Ferrari’s traumatic start to 2025 Formula 1 ranks among its worst in the past fifteen years. After the Melbourne debacle, Lewis Hamilton’s Sprint victory briefly brought a smile to Ferrari fans’ faces—only to be wiped away the next day.

At the end of a rather anonymous race, with the SF-25 cars once again on the defensive, Ferrari was hit with a shocking double FIA announcement: both cars were deemed illegal, resulting in a double disqualification.

“Ferrari’s disqualification was too harsh”: Rene Arnoux’s proposal
Lewis Hamilton’s skid block wear and Charles Leclerc’s minimum weight violation—two technical infractions that resulted in non-compliance with regulations. “Dura lex, sed lex” (the law is harsh, but it is the law), and Ferrari’s points were reset to zero. However, René Arnoux criticizes the FIA’s strictness and proposes an alternative. “I rule out any intention to cheat,” the former driver told *La Gazzetta dello Sport*. “If Leclerc’s car had been underweight by ten kilograms… if Hamilton’s infraction had been more blatant, then we could discuss it. But these were trivial matters, clearly accidental.” – he pointed out.

The regulations “cannot be ignored,” according to Rene Arnoux, but he believes the FIA was too severe. “If everything is so complex and mere millimeters can alter performance, then there should be a range where minor infractions result in an initial warning. Only on the second violation should a real penalty be applied,” he suggested. “A disqualification is too harsh. Moreover, it affects the entire championship, not just the team and driver penalized…”

Ferrari will return to the championship fight: Rene Arnoux’s prediction
Despite the poor start to the season and the double disqualification in Shanghai, Rene Arnoux does not believe Ferrari is out of the title race. He remains optimistic: “Will the championship be just between McLaren? I don’t think so. In fact, I believe it will be wide open. After all, finding a breakthrough solution seems to be a matter of millimeters.”

“I expect a long championship where the top teams will find solutions. And I am convinced Ferrari will be among them. On the other hand, I don’t think Red Bull will be in the fight—it is being kept at that level solely by Max Verstappen,” Rene Arnoux concluded confidently.