Fred Vasseur: “One-liter water loss” contributed to Charles Leclerc’s underweight Ferrari in China. Ferrari's team principal revealed what may have happened to the #16 SF-25 in China.

That team radio in Australia…
799 kg versus the 800 kg required by regulations. The weighing of the #16 Ferrari SF-25 led to Charles Leclerc’s disqualification after the Chinese GP. The Monegasque driver had finished the race in fifth place ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, but post-race technical checks resulted in both Ferrari cars being disqualified (Lewis Hamilton‘s car had excessive floor wear).

During the race, Charles Leclerc damaged his front wing in a collision with Lewis Hamilton at the start, but Ferrari chose not to replace the wing during his only pit stop. The FIA also conducted measurements with an undamaged wing, but Charles Leclerc’s SF-25 still came in under the regulatory weight. The disqualification was inevitable, and in an interview with the French sports newspaper *L’Équipe*, Frederic Vasseur explained the situation, revealing that a minor issue might have been the cause of the irregularity. “When a car is underweight, it’s always a combination of factors,” Fred Vasseur stated. “Excessive tire wear from following a one-stop strategy is only part of the explanation. There was also a loss of one liter of water from Charles Leclerc’s reserve tank.”

Frederic Vasseur’s comments immediately bring to mind a radio exchange from the Australian GP. “Is there a leak? The seat is full of water,” Leclerc had asked. His race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, responded, “It must be the rain,” to which Leclerc replied, “Let’s add that to the list of wise remarks.”