Lewis Hamilton disqualification sparked major Ferrari fears at Hungarian GP

Ferrari’s loss of pace towards the end of the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday could have been sparked by fears relating to Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification earlier this year in China.The seven-time world champion was disqualified from the grand prix in Shanghai when the skid block underneath his Ferrari was found to be below the minimum 9mm thickness required.Throughout the 2025 season, Ferrari have been unable to run their SF-25 low to the ground, in a bid to avoid excessive wear on this plank underneath the car and prevent a disqualification.

Originally at the Hungarian GP, Leclerc demonstrated impressive pace, where he claimed pole position and managed to fend off Oscar Piastri for most of the race distance.However, from lap 40 Leclerc reported pace problems with his Ferrari and eventually succumbed to George Russell from behind, who claimed the final spot on the podium.Speaking to the media after the Hungarian GP, Russell hinted that the Ferrari slowed down during the race to prevent wear to the underneath of Leclerc’s car, based on what he could deduce from behind.

“He’s not going to tell you that they’re close to being illegal,” Russell said.“That’s the only thing we can think of based upon the lap times and the engine mode they were running and stuff like that, but nevertheless, really pleased with the result.”