In a shocking turn of events at the Chinese Grand Prix, Ferrari’s star driver Charles Leclerc faced disqualification, inadvertently reinstating his former teammate, Sebastian Vettel, as Ferrari’s record holder for the most points scored in F1. Leclerc initially secured the fifth position in Shanghai last Sunday, earning 10 points that propelled his overall score to 1,409 since his initiation into the Ferrari team in 2019. This feat momentarily placed him ahead of Vettel’s impressive record of 1,400 points scored during his six-year tenure with Scuderia from 2015 to 2020.
However, Leclerc’s glory was short-lived as he faced disqualification hours post-race due to his Ferrari SF-25 being underweight. His disqualification wasn’t an isolated incident though, as Pierre Gasly of Alpine and Leclerc’s own teammate, Lewis Hamilton, also faced exclusion for similar reasons. Hamilton’s disqualification was due to excessive skid-block wear throughout the 56-lap race.
These recent developments have left Leclerc at 1,399 points, just one shy of Vettel, who retired from F1 at the end of 2022 after a two-year stint with Aston Martin. Despite the setback, Leclerc, who is in his seventh season with Ferrari in 2025, is expected to reclaim the record at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. This venue holds critical significance for Vettel, who celebrated four victories here during his stellar F1 career. It’s also the place where Vettel secured his last of 57 F1 pole positions in 2019, a year marked by his intense rivalry with Leclerc at Ferrari.
This double disqualification for Ferrari at the Chinese Grand Prix adds to their strenuous start to the F1 2025 campaign. Hamilton’s pole-to-flag victory in Shanghai’s sprint race on Saturday remains the only silver lining for Scuderia this season. Leclerc and Hamilton lagged in the season opener in Australia due to apparent difficulties in both dry and wet conditions during qualification and the race.
Further adding to Ferrari’s woes, a report from Italy disclosed that the team had to compromise their state in Melbourne due to a setup issue. Post-Friday practice at Albert Park, where Leclerc set the pace in FP2, it was discovered that the car’s ride height was too low. This issue risked disqualification due to excessive wear on the skid blocks, forcing the SF-25 to be raised for the rest of the weekend, resulting in a performance reduction.
As the F1 2025 season unfolds, Ferrari currently holds the fifth position in the Constructors’ standings, equal to fourth-placed Williams with 17 points. The team trails behind leaders McLaren, who have won the first two races via Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in Australia and China respectively, by a significant 61 points. This gap is startling, especially considering that Ferrari fell just 14 points short of McLaren in the F1 2024 Constructors’ title fight. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how Ferrari navigates these challenges.