The FIA (International Automobile Federation) has made an unprecedented clean break after the GP of China. Both Ferrari cars and Gasly’s Alpine have been disqualified from the race after a post-race analysis by the FIA found technical violations. A totally unexpected setback – and mistake – for the Maranello team, which has seen its remarkable race result go down the drain. The reasons for the disqualifications are different in each case.
In the case of Lewis Hamilton’s red car, the stewards reported excessive wear on the underbody skid plate, which was less than the required minimum thickness of 9 millimeters. The team did not excuse the fault, and their accusations went beyond the initial design of the car: the set-up and condition of the Shanghai circuit were to blame for the deterioration. Disqualified.
The FIA was clear in its sanction: “The set of planks on car 44 were measured and found to be 8.6 mm thick (left side), 8.6 mm (centre axis of the car) and 8.5 mm (right side). This is below the minimum thickness of 9 mm specified in Article 3.5.9 of the “Technical Regulations”.
The other two disqualified cars, Gasly’s Alpine and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, were disqualified for not reaching the minimum weight set by the regulations, which is 800 kilograms without fuel. After the checks, both cars weighed 799 kilos. Ferrari tried to justify the anomaly with the damage suffered by Leclerc at the start, where he lost part of the front wing, but the explanation was not accepted by the FIA.
Change in the results of the Chinese GP
This decision by the FIA completely changes the final result of the race. Esteban Ocon climbs to fifth, Lance Stroll moves into the top 10 and scores good points for Aston Martin, and Carlos Sainz scores his first point of the season with Williams, finishing tenth in a race where he had been rather unnoticed.
This triple whammy is a serious blow for Ferrari at a key moment in the season. The team not only loses important points in both championships, but also sees its credibility damaged in the fight to stay in the race for the World Championship, where McLaren is leaving on points. It’s time for self-criticism and a review of processes if they don’t want this episode to happen again.