Charles Leclerc, Ferrari (Disqualified) 6/10
The 2025 Chinese Grand Prix marked the first time that both Ferrari cars have been disqualified in a single race. Leclerc’s violation matched that of Gasly: an underweight car. Going back to the start of the weekend, Leclerc was definitely struggling for pace compared to Hamilton, and looked lost as to the reasons why. He was having difficulty controlling his SF-25, especially in the low speed corners. One redeeming factor was that he reversed his deficit to Hamilton when it mattered during the Grand Prix, despite losing 20 to 30 points of downforce with a damaged front wing from the very first lap. The Monegasque’s speed fell away in the latter half of the race, and would have been disappointed to lose a position to Verstappen with four laps to go. Fifth would have been OK considering the circumstances, but he instead left with no points at all in the main race.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin (Retired, lap 4) 3/10
Alonso was outclassed by Stroll for much of the weekend in Shanghai, falling significantly behind his teammate in the Sprint race. The oldest driver on the grid was forced to retire from the Grand Prix itself after just four laps, an overheating rear right brake the culprit. Alonso said he was lucky not to crash into those around him when his brakes eventually failed, but being the only driver to retire from all Grands Prix so far can’t be considered fortunate.
