Charles Leclerc has been demoted from seventh to eighth place at the Brazilian Grand Prix after stewards handed him a five-second penalty for causing a collision with Liam Lawson in the closing laps. The decision promoted Lawson to seventh for Racing Bulls and drew a pointed response from the New Zealander.
Penalty changes Brazilian GP result
Leclerc had originally finished seventh, but the penalty, applied after the race, altered the final classification. The stewards determined that Leclerc, driving Car 16, made contact with Lawson's Car 30 at turn 12.
In their verdict, the stewards noted that while the contact was minor and Lawson was able to maintain the lead thereafter, Lawson claimed the contact damaged the rear left rim of his car and allowed Leclerc to close up and overtake him five corners later. They concluded that the contact disrupted Lawson and gave Leclerc an obvious sporting consequence, as he was able to pull alongside despite being further away before the incident.
Lawson compares incident to past move
Speaking after the race, Lawson accused Leclerc of repeatedly making illegal moves on track. He said: "I think it was his wing that hit my tyre. So I think we got really lucky. I feel like it was exactly like his GP2 move in Abu Dhabi on Albon years ago."
Lawson added: "He did the same kind of thing. So maybe it's his speciality. I don't know if it's legal or not. We'll obviously go review it, but it was a good battle, hopefully."
Stewards cite driving standards
The stewards' verdict explained that under the Driving Standard Guidelines, Car 30 had the right to the corner and it was for Car 16 to take the necessary steps to avoid a collision. While Leclerc claimed the contact was minor with no obvious sporting consequence, the stewards disagreed, stating that the contact clearly disrupted Lawson and allowed Leclerc to get closer and overtake.
In mitigation, the wet conditions and the minor nature of the contact were taken into account, resulting in a five-second penalty rather than a ten-second one. The Brazilian Grand Prix was won by Lando Norris, who finished 14 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, while Kimi Antonelli placed fifth and Lewis Hamilton finished ninth.
