Ferrari’s Disqualification Fallout Unveiled as Liam Lawson’s Red Bull Exit Looms Large

Shanghai, March 24, 2025 – The Formula 1 paddock is reeling from a double dose of drama following the Chinese Grand Prix, where Ferrari’s dream weekend spiraled into a nightmare and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson faces the chopping block. Ferrari issued a candid statement after both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified from Sunday’s race, while whispers of Lawson’s replacement by Yuki Tsunoda at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix grow louder. With the season barely underway, these shocks are rewriting the narrative for two of F1’s heavyweight teams—here’s the truth behind the chaos.

Let’s start with Ferrari’s debacle. Hamilton, riding high after a Sprint race pole and victory, and Leclerc, a steady force in the main event, finished P6 and P5 respectively—only for both to be stripped of their points. The FIA’s post-race scrutineering revealed Hamilton’s car had excessive skid wear, with the rear skid measuring 0.5mm below the legal limit, while Leclerc’s SF-25 was a kilogram underweight. Ferrari’s response was swift and transparent: “Charles was on a one-stop strategy, and high tire wear pushed the car below weight. For Lewis, we misjudged skid consumption by a small margin. There was no intent to cheat—we’ll learn and ensure it doesn’t happen again.” The Scuderia’s mea culpa underscores a costly misstep, turning a decent points haul into a zero-score disaster. Fans, still unwavering, now look to Japan for redemption, but the sting of this “amateur-hour” blunder lingers.

Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Liam Lawson is teetering on the edge of an F1 exit just two races into his tenure. Hired to replace Sergio Perez and bolster Max Verstappen’s Constructors’ title fight, the Kiwi’s stint has been a catastrophe. In Melbourne, he qualified P18 and crashed out; in China, he hit rock bottom with last-place finishes in both Sprint and main qualifying, scraping to P12 in the Grand Prix only thanks to others’ disqualifications—including Ferrari’s duo. This marks the worst qualifying streak for a Red Bull driver ever, and the RB21’s tricky handling has left Lawson floundering while Verstappen secures P4s and P2s. Motorsport.com reports Red Bull is already eyeing a swap with Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda as early as Suzuka, with paddock insiders hinting at “likely” discussions. No final call has been made, but the clock is ticking.

Tsunoda, thriving at Racing Bulls with a P5 in Melbourne and a strong China showing despite strategy woes, is primed for the step-up. His 2024 Abu Dhabi test didn’t sway Red Bull then, but Lawson’s struggles have flipped the script. “It’s a tough car to drive,” Lawson admitted, a sentiment echoed by Verstappen, yet the gap between them is glaring. Red Bull’s patience is notoriously thin—will Tsunoda get the nod to rescue their season, or can Lawson defy the odds at his familiar Suzuka stomping ground?

From Ferrari’s technical woes to Red Bull’s driver dilemma, the Chinese Grand Prix has lit a fuse under F1 2025. Japan looms as a crucible—will Ferrari rebound, and will Lawson survive? The answers are coming fast, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Stay tuned.