Charles Leclerc drops to 8th place in the Miami GP after a penalty

The 2026 Miami Grand Prix ended on a bitter note for Charles Leclerc. The pilot of Team Ferrari received a heavy penalty after the race, following several investigations carried out by the stewards.

Everything came down to the final lap on the Miami circuit. After spinning at turn 3, Leclerc lightly touched the wall before continuing on to the finish.

This incident triggered a series of investigations focusing on three points: the conduct of a car potentially damaged, repeated off-track excursions with an advantage gain, contact with George Russell (Mercedes Benz) in the final pin.

After reviewing the data, videos, and radio communications, the stewards decided to impose a drive-through penalty on Leclerc. As this was issued after the race, it was converted into 20 seconds added to his final time.

As a direct consequence, the Monegasque player drops in the standings to finish in eighth place, allowing his teammate Lewis Hamilton and to Franco Colapinto (Alpine) to each gain a place. The Argentinian thus achieves his best result in F1.

In their report, officials explain that Leclerc left the track "on several occasions without valid reason," which allowed him to maintain a lasting advantage despite his difficulties.

The driver stated that his car was experiencing a problem in the right-hand corners, forcing him to cut some chicanes. The stewards deemed this explanation insufficient: "Having to cut the chicanes meant he gained a sustained advantage. A mechanical problem is not a valid reason in this case."

However, no further penalties were imposed for continuing to race with a potentially damaged car. The stewards determined that there was no evidence of an "obvious and discernible" mechanical problem.

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