Formula 1 Miami GP
Charles Leclerc handed huge Miami GP penalty after battle with Max Verstappen and George Russell
Charles Leclerc loses his sixth position at Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix following a late series of incidents with Max Verstappen and George Russell
Filip Cleeren
Edited: May 3, 2026, 10:13 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Chris Graythen Getty Images
Charles Leclerc has been handed a 20-second post-race time penalty for a last-lap incident at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
Leclerc suffered a high-speed spin on the final lap of the Miami race, avoiding a huge accident but still suffering front-left car damage after tapping the Turn 3 wall.
As a result Leclerc lost a podium finish to Oscar Piastri, and he then desperately attempted to fend off Mercedes' George Russell and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
But because he suffered steering arm damage Leclerc cut several corners and pushed the lapped car of Arvid Lindblad out of the way. He also made slight contact with Russell at the hairpin as he lost places to both the Mercedes man and Verstappen at the line.
After the race the FIA race stewards investigated the contact with Russell as well as Leclerc allegedly leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Leclerc was handed a drive-through penalty for the latter, which was converted into a 20-second penalty post-race.
As a result Leclerc drops to down to eighth behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Alpine's Franco Colapinto, who nets his best-ever grand prix result as a result.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
In his summons, Leclerc explained that his car struggled to turn right after his contact with the wall, leading to him cutting some of Miami's tighter chicanes, but the stewards argued that amounted to gaining a lasting advantage and punished him given the number of off-track excursions.
The FIA stewards verdict document stated: "Car 16 spun on the last lap at Turn 3 and hit the wall but continued on track. The driver informed us that the car appeared fine save that the car would not negotiate the right-hand 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."
Read Also:
The stewards didn't take further action against Leclerc's car allegedly being in an unsafe condition, however.
"We also considered whether there was an additional breach in continuing to drive a car with an obvious and discernible mechanical issue," the verdict continued. "We determined that there was no evidence of there being an obvious or discernible mechanical issue. We therefore took no further action in relation to that potential infringement."
There was also no further action against either Leclerc or Russell for making contact at the hairpin on the final lap. The stewards agreed with the assessment of both drivers that it was a "minor racing incident".
Photos from Miami GP - Sunday
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Miami GP - Sunday, in photos
Formula 1
56
Read Also:
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Isack Hadjar explains how he went from “flying” to hitting the wall in Miami GP
Next article Max Verstappen given penalty for crossing pit exit at F1 Miami GP
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Filip Cleeren
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
7 h
Winners and losers from F1's chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix
F1 Brazilian GP: Lando Norris wins in mixed conditions, Mercedes clinch constructors’ title
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
11 h
F1 Brazilian GP: Lando Norris wins in mixed conditions, Mercedes clinch constructors’ title
More from
Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
8 h
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc summoned to stewards after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
10 h
Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc summoned to stewards after F1 Brazilian GP
More from
Ferrari
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
WEC
WEC
Monza
7 h
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
‘I’ll try to win, somehow’ – Can Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight back for F1 Brazilian GP victory?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
16 h
‘I’ll try to win, somehow’ – Can Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen fight back for F1 Brazilian GP victory?
Latest news
Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
1 h
Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the Hendrick 5 are who we say they are
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
5 h
Final NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Homestead finale
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
6 h
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Homestead season finale
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
6 h
Ryan Blaney wins Homestead NASCAR Cup finale as Kyle Larson claims 2026 title
Feature
Discover prime content
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Formula 1
By Pat Symonds
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe