Peter Windsor slams Ferrari for using one-stop strategy as excuse for Charles Leclerc’s disqualification. Peter Windsor reacts to Ferrari's excuse for Charles Leclerc’s disqualification in China.

Lewis Hamilton’s challenging start at Ferrari continued with a disqualification from the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, marking a significant setback for the seven-time champion. Both Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc were disqualified after a post-race inspection revealed issues with their SF-25s. This disqualification came just a day after Lewis Hamilton celebrated his first race win for Ferrari in the Shanghai Sprint race.

In the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton and Leclerc finished P5 and P6, respectively, but their results were invalidated due to technical breaches. Charles Leclerc’s car was found to be underweight by 1kg, while Hamilton’s rearward skid exceeded the permissible limit by 0.5mm. This double disqualification marked the first of its kind in Ferrari’s history.

F1 veteran Damon Hill weighed in on the disqualifications, emphasizing that “rules are rules.” After two races, Ferrari now sits with 17 points, tied with Williams, and a staggering 61 points behind the current leaders, McLaren. In the season opener in Melbourne, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished P8 and P10 after a risky dry-tyre strategy failed to deliver in the wet conditions. However, Shanghai had shown promise with Hamilton’s Sprint victory, only to see Ferrari’s progress undone by the disqualifications.

For the seven-time Formula 1 world champion, this marks his third disqualification in his F1 career, a rare occurrence that underscores the team’s ongoing challenges. Ferrari admitted to misjudging their fuel consumption during the race, but Peter Windsor was particularly critical of their defense for Charles Leclerc’s disqualification. The Maranello team explained that the Monegasque’s one-stop strategy led to excessive tyre wear, causing his car to be underweight. The F1 expert, however, was unimpressed, declaring that a car being underweight is “inexcusable” and that such issues should have been addressed before the race began.

Peter Windsor’s frustration highlights the broader concern within Ferrari’s 2025 campaign as the team continues to struggle with consistency and reliability.

The former Ferrari UK general manager expressed that being underweight is completely inexcusable and there is no valid excuse for it. He could not believe Ferrari had issued a statement claiming that Leclerc’s car was underweight because of the one-stop strategy and the unexpected wear of the hard tyre. Windsor criticized this reasoning, calling it unacceptable.

He further stated that he believes in avoiding micro-management and that too many people with titles were taking some form of responsibility. According to Windsor, the lack of a superstar technical director who could make decisive calls was a significant issue.

The F1 analyst and youtuber reflected on a comment he made over the winter, where he had praised Ferrari’s team principal, Fred Vasseur, for stepping back from pursuing Adrian Newey and deciding to take on more technical responsibilities himself. However, Windsor emphasized that, despite Frederic Vasseur’s decision, the responsibility ultimately rests with him, as the team principal with technical influence.

Windsor pointed out that there are specific aspects of the car’s setup under Frederic Vasseur’s control before the race even begins, and getting those right should be a priority. He made it clear that there is no excuse for failing to ensure such parameters are correct.

Lewis Hamilton’s debut season with the Maranello team has been far from smooth, and the veteran driver is unlikely to be pleased with his start to 2025. After a disappointing opening two races, Ferrari is already under intense scrutiny, with fans expressing frustration over their performance. Despite the optimism following Hamilton’s Sprint victory in China, his subsequent disqualification dashed any hopes of a strong start. The seven-time world champion currently sits in ninth place in the championship with just nine points, narrowly ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.

Ferrari’s struggle to meet expectations began in Melbourne, where they ended the race with fewer points than Sauber, leaving fans and the Tifosi disappointed. The team admitted that the 2025 car had to be run lower than the previous model due to changes in the suspension, a decision that ultimately led to their downfall at the Shanghai International Circuit. The disqualification after the Grand Prix only fueled frustration among the loyal Ferrari fans, who were expecting a stronger start to the season.

Despite this, Hamilton’s performance in Shanghai, where he improved from the previous race, suggested some positive momentum. With the right adjustments, he seems poised to finish ahead of Leclerc in the standings. However, 17 points after two races is far from the start Ferrari’s passionate fanbase hoped for. The Tifosi had high expectations for Hamilton, with many demanding a championship challenge this year, but based on the early results, that goal already appears to be slipping further out of reach.