Lewis Hamilton disqualified from Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix
The driver had been accused of having an advantage to his car
Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix following allegations of having an unfair advantage to his car.
Hamilton, who is racing his first season with Ferrari, was one of three drivers who were disqualified from the race.
Following the race, it was found that one of the skid blocks on Hamilton's car had been less than the required thickness, which in turn gave him an added advantage.
He eventually finished in first place following the race, but after the discovery, Hamilton has since lost his sixth-place standing in the overall rankings.
Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc - as well as Alpine driver Pierre Gasly were also disqualified from the race, as their cars were decided to have been too light following checks.
In a statement released following the decision, Ferrari said there was "no intention to gain any advantage" in the race.
"Charles was on a one-stop strategy today and this meant his tyre was very high, causing the car to be underweight.
"With regard to Lewis' skid wear, we misjudged the consumption by a small margin."
A skid block is an addition to the cars the drivers are racing with in order to ensure the car maintains a ride height and not running too low, potentially damaging the car and the track.
This is not the first time that Hamilton has been penalised for a similar incident, as he was disqualified from the US Grand Prix in 2023 when he was driving as part of the Mercedes team.
As a result, Oscar Piastri - who was racing for McLaren - was declared the winner of the Chinese Grand Prix.
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