Fumbling Ferraris: What the Team’s Double Disqualification Signals for Rest of Season
The Chinese Grand Prix was, unfortunately, nothing like the weekend’s Sprint Race for Scuderia Ferrari. After a tough battle with Mercedes and Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc finished fifth and sixth overall in the race. While not totally disastrous, this little victory would last only a couple of hours before both Ferrari drivers were disqualified from the race on two separate technical penalties. The question is, though: Is this the beginning of a very long season for the Italian team?
Leclerc, alongside Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, was disqualified from the race due to weight standard violations. Both cars were underweight, which, if done on purpose, could be an advantage for the car’s aerodynamics. The Monegasque driver had a very disappointing weekend as a whole, only managing to snag a top-five finish in the Sprint behind the Mercedes of George Russell. It seems Leclerc has not yet found his groove in the SF-25, despite his teammate being able to pull off a Sprint win.
The violation behind Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification is a bit more difficult to explain to newer F1 fans. Essentially, a large wooden plank is placed in the middle of the car’s floor or underside, preventing the car from being stationed too low to the ground. When a car violates the FIA’s minimum thickness requirement for this plank, it offers a competitive advantage due to a lower positioning and, therefore, lower center of gravity, which aids in aerodynamic performance. Hamilton’s car was 0.4 millimeters thinner than the minimum requirement, which is thinner than the average ID card.
So, what does this mean for Ferrari? Lots of work needs to be done across the board. Before the season’s first triple header kicks off in Suzuka, the Scuderia needs to have serious investigations into how, why, and when the car is losing pace during the race. Ferrari also needs to improve their communications between their drivers and pit wall significantly, as seen by the disaster in Melbourne. This is a team that has advertised their confidence in their drivers and their hunger to win both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships this year. However, after this start, it’s hard not to wonder: Has the dream already died?
