Lewis Hamilton’s rocky start continues as Ferrari suffer double disqualification

Lewis Hamilton’s second appearance for Ferrari ended with a shock disqualification after he was adjudged to have driven an illegal car in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix.

Hamilton crossed the line in sixth place – scoring eight points. But three hours after the chequered flag fell in Shanghai, he was expelled from the result after a skid block underneath his Ferrari was found in breach of the regulations by half a millimetre.

On a nightmare day for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, who finished one place ahead of Hamilton, was also removed from the classification with his machine one kilogram underweight. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who crossed the line in 11th place, was the third driver disqualified for a similar infringement.

Hamilton, who endured a troubled afternoon in China as he struggled for speed, was summoned to see the stewards at 7:15pm local time. The FIA’s verdict arrived just eight minutes later with Ferrari admitting a “genuine error”.

A statement from the FIA read: “The plank assembly of Car 44 (Lewis Hamilton) was measured and found to be 8.6mm (left-hand-side), 8.6mm (car centreline) and 8.5mm (RHS). This is below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations.

“During the hearing the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly.

“The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.”

The skid blocks in the wooden floor have a minimum thickness to ensure a driver cannot gain advantage by their machine running lower to the ground than is allowed.

It marked the second disqualification for Hamilton in 18 months after he was stripped of second