Why was Lewis Hamilton disqualified from Chinese Grand Prix?

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton suffered a major setback in his stint with Ferrari as he was disqualified from the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, China, on Sunday.

The British racer, who joined Ferrari from Mercedes this season, finished 10th in the opening race in Australia, and his chance for redemption looked to end to nothing in the next race, with his car not complying with the rules.

Why was Lewis Hamilton disqualified?

Hamilton was disqualified because the ‘thickness of the plank assembly was below the permitted minimum thickness.’ It was a breach of Article 3.5.9 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations.

“The plank assembly of Car 44 (Hamilton’s car) was measured and found to be 8.6mm (LHS), 8.6mm (car centerline) and 8.5mm (RHS). This is below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations,” FIA, the foverning body of Formula One, said in a statement.

“During the hearing, the team representative confirmed that the measurement is correct and that all required procedures were performed correctly. The team also acknowledged that there were no mitigating circumstances and that it was a genuine error by the team.”

“The Stewards determine that Article 3.5.9 of the FIA Formula 1 Technical Regulations has been breached and therefore the standard penalty of a disqualification needs to be applied for such an infringement.”

Can the decision be challenged?

Yes. According to Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, competitors have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, within the applicable time limits.