survived a frustrating to finish sixth on Sunday, but the star was later disqualified after his SF-25 machine failed post-race inspection. The rear skid blocks were measured in just 0.5mm under the minimum permitted measurement. To demonstrate how harsh the Briton's disqualification was, Sky Sports F1 reporter Craig Slater used an ID card. "This is your ID pass.

"Less than the width of this is the margin by which Lewis Hamilton has been disqualified from the Grand Prix today. But they have to draw the line somewhere." Hamilton wasn't the only driver disqualified from the Chinese GP. Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc was ejected from the final classification after his car was measured at 1kg under the minimum weight, while Alpine driver Pierre Gasly suffered the same fate.

The double disqualification was a disaster for Ferrari and Fred Vasseur. The Italian squad have accumulated just 17 points after two Grands Prix and a sprint race, leaving them fifth in the Constructors' Championship standings, level with James Vowles' Williams team.

In the Drivers' Championship, things are looking equally bleak for the Ferrari duo. Hamilton and Leclerc sit ninth and tenth, respectively, with just nine and eight points accumulated. Meanwhile, at the top, Lando Norris has already notched up 44 points from the opening two rounds.

Addressing their Shanghai heartbreak, a Ferrari statement read: "Following the FIA post-race scrutineering, both our cars were found not to conform to the regulations for different reasons. Car 16 was found to be underweight by 1kg, and car 44's rearward skid wear was found to be 0.5mm below the limit.

"Charles was on a one-stop strategy today and this meant his tyre wear was very high, causing the car to be underweight. With regard to Lewis' skid wear, we misjudged the consumption by a small margin. There was no intention to gain any advantage.

"We will learn from what happened today and make sure we don't make the same mistakes again. Clearly, it's not the way we wanted to end our Chinese GP weekend, neither for ourselves nor for our fans whose support for us is unwavering."

Vasseur can at least take some comfort from Hamilton's pace in the sprint on Saturday. The seven-time world champion scored his first victory as a Ferrari driver, storming to the top step of the rostrum ahead of Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen.