A seasoned Formula 1 figure has weighed in on Ferrari’s shocking double disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix, reigniting debates over the FIA’s strict technical regulations. The 2025 season has been a rollercoaster for the Scuderia: Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc stumbled in Australia with lackluster finishes before Hamilton clinched a thrilling sprint race victory in Shanghai.
But Sunday’s main event brought disaster—both drivers were axed from the results after post-race inspections revealed Leclerc’s car was 1kg underweight and Hamilton’s skid block fell 0.5mm below the mandated thickness. Amid the chaos, a former Ferrari star has questioned whether the punishments fit the “crimes.”
F1 Legend Slams Ferrari's double disqualification
The criticism comes from ex-Ferrari driver René Arnoux, a three-time Grand Prix winner, who labeled the infractions as minor oversights rather than deliberate cheating.
“We’re talking about trifles, obviously accidental,” he argued, emphasizing that Charles Leclerc’s weight discrepancy and Hamilton’s skid wear were marginal.
Arnoux proposed a radical rethink of FIA penalties, suggesting a “first warning” system for such technical breaches instead of immediate disqualification.
“A sanction this harsh impacts the entire championship, not just the team,” he stressed, noting the long-term consequences for Ferrari’s standings.
While acknowledging the need for strict regulations, Arnoux highlighted the sport’s razor-thin margins: “If millimeters define performance, controlling every detail becomes nearly impossible.” His solution? A tolerance range for minor violations, with disqualifications reserved for repeat offenders.
Ferrari’s uphill battle
The fallout has been steep. Ferrari now sits joint-fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, 61 points adrift of leaders McLaren, with neither driver in the top five individually. Team principal Fred Vasseur faces mounting pressure to address the SF-25’s inconsistency—exemplified by Lewis Hamilton’s sprint dominance collapsing into Sunday’s anonymity. Yet Arnoux remains optimistic:
“Ferrari is at the level of the best. With their engineers, they’ll solve this.”
Arnoux’s critique spotlights a growing tension in F1: balancing technical precision with competitive fairness. While the FIA upholds the rulebook, critics argue that zero-tolerance policies risk overshadowing racing itself. For Ferrari, the path forward is clear—fix the “millimeter mistakes” and reclaim their fighting spirit. As Arnoux put it, “The championship is still open.” But with every gram and millimeter scrutinized, the Scuderia’s margin for error has never been slimmer.