Charles Leclerc Handed 20-Second Penalty Post Race, Turning His Miami Grand Prix from Bad to Worse

Leclerc Handed 20-Second Penalty Post Miami GPKym Illman - Getty Images

Charles Leclerc looked primed to potentially grab the first Ferrari win since Carlos Sainz in the Mexico Grand Prix in 2024, when his day fell apart following an early safety car in the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday. Leclerc took the lead after starting third behind Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli and held it through the first six laps before the safety car reset the field.

It's true that the first stint went very well," Fred Vassuer said on Leclerc's day. "Then we had the safety car, we packed everybody, and it's a lot about when you are in a race, it's a lot about energy management, but honestly, you have two phases in the race. The first one when we are in clean air and with the good pace. Then, when we had the safety car, it told everybody to come back, and it was much more difficult."

From there, a failed undercut, a long pit stop, debris, and a wall hit forced the Ferrari driver back to sixth. Atlas, the bed luck continued for Leclerc, when he was called to the stewards after the race for repeatedly cutting the course and ultimately handed a 20-second penalty.

Before the penalty was handed out, Leclerc reflected on the spin that cost him his chance of a podium.

"[I'm] very disappointed with myself. The last lap mistake is obviously all on me, and it cost us P3 or a P4. I mean, more likely it'll have been a P4, but the P3 was still right there. So yeah, I'm very disappointed with myself. Mistakes happen, but in the last lap of the race like that, it's frustrating and not the level where I should be at. It's been a very strong start to the season. Not many mistakes. This one luckily didn't cost us too many points."

The 20-second penalty dropped the Ferrari driver from sixth back to eighth, elevating his teammate Lewis Hamilton to the sixth position and Alpine's Franco Colapinto to the seventh position. Leclerc still holds third in the WDC standings, behind Mercedes, but his points buffer ahead of reigning champion Lando Norris has been further shortened.

Verstappen was also handed a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pit exit, but stays in P5 with Hamilton 10 seconds behind him and Leclerc's penalty.

Leclerc argued that he had to cut the track because of an issue with his right-hand turns after his suspension failed following his spin on the final lap. This explanation was not enough for the Stewards, who felt he was consistently given an advantage by cutting the track and that it was not justified by hearsay about his car's handling.