The drivers and teams who benefit from Lewis Hamilton DSQ at F1 Chinese GP

Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly have all been excluded from the Chinese Grand Prix for failing post-race technical checks, resulting in a number of Formula 1 drivers moving up the order in the final race results.

Ferrari driver Leclerc had originally crossed the line in fifth place at Shanghai, having been overtaken by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with just four laps to run.

However, it was later discovered that his car was underweight by one kilogram and thus not in compliance with the series’ technical regulations.

As such, the Monegasque driver has been disqualified from a race for the first time since the 2023 US GP, when the scrutineers concluded that the skid blocks underneath his car had worn beyond the permissible limits.

Points for two under-the-radar drivers at F1 Chinese GP

Leclerc’s teammate Hamilton has also been thrown out of the results for excessive plank wear on his Ferrari, resulting in a painful double DNF for Ferrari. He had originally finished the race in sixth place.

Following their exclusions, Haas driver Esteban Ocon has moved up to fifth, securing his best race finish in F1 since his shock podium in Brazil last year.

Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Williams driver Alex Albon and Haas rookie Oliver Bearman are now placed sixth, seventh and eighth respectively in the final order.

Gasly finished 11th on the road and would have been elevated to ninth, but he too has been disqualified for the race after his Alpine F1 car failed to meet the increased 800kg weight requirement for 2025.

Hence, Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll and new Williams signing Carlos Sainz now score the final points in ninth and 10th respectively.

Red Bull’s under-pressure full-season rookie Liam Lawson is now classified 12th, behind Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar, having taken the chequered flag in 15th place.

Williams strike a blow to Ferrari

In the drivers’ championship, Hamilton and Leclerc have dropped to ninth and 10th place respectively, while Antonelli has been promoted to fifth place ahead of Albon.

In the constructors’ standings, Ferrari has slipped behind Williams to sixth place on 17 points and it now faces a substantial 61-point deficit to McLaren.

Haas, meanwhile, has jumped Aston Martin for seventh place in the championship.

Alpine remains the only team yet to score a point in 2025.