Charles Leclerc handed significant penalty at Miami Grand Prix

MIAMI, FLORIDA - MAY 01: Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Scuderia Ferrari, Alexandra Leclerc and Leo arrive in the Paddock prior to practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 01, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Hector Vivas - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images) | Formula 1 via Getty Images Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc had a tough day on the track at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. But the difficulties did not end with the checkered flag.

Leclerc was in a hard fight with several drivers over the course of the Miami Grand Prix, including Max Verstappen and George Russell. He was running in a podium position heading into the closing act of the race, but on the final lap of the race, Leclerc spun at Turn 3 and tapped the wall. Despite the spin, Leclerc managed to keep his Ferrari in the fight to take the checkered flag in P6 just behind Verstappen.

But how Leclerc got to the finish line drew the attention of the race officials, who summoned him for both an incident with Russell on the final lap, as well as potentially leaving the track to gain an advantage during that final lap after hitting the wall at Turn 3. Following the hearing, race officials hit Leclerc with a drive-through penalty, which, when converted to a time penalty as the race was over, became a 20-second penalty. That decision dropped Leclerc from P6, down to P8.

In the stewards’ decision, which you can read here at Document 97 , they noted that they heard from Leclerc and a team representative, and also reviewed video, telemetry data, and radio messages. According to the decision, they found that: “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 righthand corners properly.