Chinese Grand Prix had most disqualifications in F1 race in over 21 years
Last season's Chinese Grand Prix had the most disqualifications in an F1 race for over two decades.
This weekend F1 heads back to Shanghai for the third consecutive season following COVID restrictions between 2020-2023, with the first sprint of the season to take place on Saturday.
George Russell will be hoping to extend his championship lead over Kimi Antonelli following a Mercedes one-two in Melbourne, with Ferrari hoping to spoil the party.
The Scuderia led the early stages of the season opener through Charles Leclerc, but failed to convert the victory due to Mercedes pitting under the first virtual safety car.
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Ferrari will be hoping to go one better in Shanghai, with Lewis Hamilton confirming the team will use the highly anticipated 'macarena wing' for the first time.
However, they will be cautious to avoid a repeat of last year, which saw both Ferrari's disqualified from the race for failing separate FIA post race tests.
Hamilton's rearward skid wear was 0.5mm below the limit, and Leclerc saw his car fail the minimum weight test by 1kg.
“We must have been too aggressive, that’s how it is," Fred Vasseur said following the disqualification.
"This setback demonstrates that we are in pursuit of perfection and that, sometimes, we look too far."
The Ferrari duo weren't the only ones to suffer last time out, with Alpine's Pierre Gasly also being disqualified after also failing the FIA's minimum weight check.
Gasly's disqualification means you have to go back to 2004 to find a race with more disqualifications after four drivers were thrown out of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Williams' Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, plus Toyota duo Olivier Panis and Cristiano da Matta's brake cooling ducts were all found in breach of the regulations..
It is usually the case that when both drivers from a team are disqualified it is for the same reason, making Ferrari's blunder in 2025 even more perplexing.
Topics: Formula 1
Tom Jenkins