Leclerc loses sixth place after post-race penalty: “I put a very strong race in the bin.”
- Caitlyn Gordon
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Charles Leclerc is penalised following a costly final-lap mistake in Miami, dropping him down to eighth.
Leclerc had a fantastic start to the Miami Grand Prix with the Ferrari driver in strong contention for a podium finish.
But, on the penultimate lap, Leclerc was battling McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, with the former on course to achieve a podium.
As the pair battled it out, Leclerc tactically let the Papaya machine overtake. The idea behind the strategic move was he would have the assistance of Overtake Mode to reclaim the position.
However, the Monegasque lost control of his car, spinning on track at Turn 1, tapping the wall in the process.
While able to continue the race, he suffered from damage to his front-steering arm, meaning he had to limp to the chequered flag. This was noted by the stewards for driving a car in an unsafe condition, as he left the track multiple times and gained an advantage. To worsen the blow, Leclerc clashed with George Russell at the final hairpin.
Following the incident, the stewards announced that Leclerc would be penalised with a drive through penalty - equal to 20-seconds worth, dropping him from sixth to eighth.
In the report the stewards issued their reasonings for the penalty:
“The driver informed us that the car appeared fine save that the car would not negotiate the righthand corners properly.
“Given this problem, he was forced to cut chicanes on the way to the chequered flag. We determined that the fact that he had to cut the chicanes (i.e. to leave the track) meant that he gained a lasting advantage by leaving the track in that manner.
“The fact that he had a mechanical issue of some sort did not amount to a justifiable reason. We accordingly impose a Drive Through penalty on Car 16, given the number of times the car left the track and gained an advantage.
“We also considered whether there was an additional breach in continuing to drive a car with an obvious and discernible mechanical issue. We determined that there was no evidence of there being an obvious of discernible mechanical issue. We therefore took no further action in relation to that potential infringement,” they concluded.
Leclerc issues his thoughts
“It's all on me," he lambasted his performance in the post-race interview with Sky Sports.
"I don't have much to add other than that. Very disappointed with my mistake. It shouldn't happen.
"I pushed very hard in the second-to-last lap. I thought I was a good idea to let Oscar go for me to get the Overtake [boost mode]. I knew it was going to be very difficult to get in front otherwise.
"It was a very poor decision and in the space of four corners I put a very strong race in the bin. I am very frustrated about that. Not much more to say."
Ferrari ambitiously gambled to switch to a fresh pair of tires on Lap 22, saw Leclerc air his frustration over the radio: "Next time you make a decision please speak to me as well, I am here."
Following the race the Monegasque driver was questioned about the call, with the eight-time Grand Prix winner refusing to blame the strategy for how his race unfolded:
"I think that without the mistake I could have done a podium more than [to blame] strategy. It's easy to blame on the strategy afterward, even with the best strategy with that mistake on the last lap I probably wouldn't have been on the podium.
“First I'll look at myself and then surely I'll speak with the team to try and improve whatever we haven't optimised today."
The fifth round of the 2026 campaign will take place at Montreal, with a month interval between Miami and the Grand Prix at Circuit Giles Villeneuve.
