The “trick” Charles Leclerc used to avoid disqualification in China: Ferrari driver caught by cameras. How Charles Leclerc tried to avoid the imminent China disqualification.

The Chinese Grand Prix is one to forget quickly for Ferrari, especially for Charles Leclerc, who had a good race pace but was hampered by a damaged front wing and ultimately disqualified because his car was underweight compared to the required limits. The disqualification cost him the fifth-place finish, ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton, and a valuable 10 points for the individual standings.

Charles Leclerc’s “trick” to avoid disqualification in China
The Monegasque driver, perhaps already aware of the potential underweight issue with his car, did everything he could to avoid disqualification, even resorting to a particular trick. The cameras placed on his SF-25 caught him during the out-lap after the race, before returning to the pits. Before going back and undergoing the car’s weight check, Charles Leclerc tried to collect debris from the track by driving on the grass at various points, aiming to increase the car’s weight and thus meet the 800 kg required by the regulations.

Charles Leclerc disqualified, Max Verstappen does the same
In total, the cameras captured him driving on the grass three times, in an attempt to increase the SF-25’s weight. However, the “trick” didn’t work, as the car was found to be one kilogram underweight, leading to his disqualification. The same trick was used by Max Verstappen, who was filmed driving on the grass while entering the pit lane, but he had no issues with the weight of his Red Bull.