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Charles Leclerc yawns at an F1 press conference wearing Ferrari gear

Ferrari suffer more Miami Grand Prix pain as F1 star hit with late FIA investigation

Charles Leclerc yawns at an F1 press conference wearing Ferrari gear — Photo: © IMAGO

Ferrari suffer more Miami Grand Prix pain as F1 star hit with late FIA investigation

Sunday's Miami Grand Prix saw a dramatic incident

Sam Cook
Digital Journalist
Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Charles Leclerc is under investigation by FIA race stewards, following a dramatic end to the Ferrari driver's Miami Grand Prix.

Leclerc finished the race down in sixth, but was in a podium position right up until the penultimate lap of the race.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri overtook him on lap 56 out of 57 to demote the Monegasque driver down to fourth, but then he lost control of his car and went spinning around 360 degrees, narrowly avoiding a big collision.

Leclerc did slam his front left tyre and the front left corner of his front wing into the barrier, however, and was severely hampered on the final lap.

George Russell and Max Verstappen overtook him on the final straight, meaning that Leclerc could only finish down in sixth position in the end.

But in the immediate aftermath of the race, FIA race stewards revealed that Leclerc was under investigation, with F1's governing body not sure whether or not his Ferrari car was safe to carry on following his trip into the barriers.

Alongside that, he is also under investigation for leaving the track and gaining an advantage 'multiple times' on the final lap, in what could lead to a hefty punishment. Leclerc will go to see the stewards but, for now, his result of sixth stands.

READ MORE: FIA announce disqualification verdict for Red Bull F1 star at Miami Grand Prix

Ferrari's nightmare weekend

Even if Leclerc is allowed to keep his sixth-place finish, it still only means that Ferrari finished the grand prix down in sixth and seventh, with Lewis Hamilton unable to recover from an early collision with Franco Colapinto which caused damage to his SF-26.

Those results are despite the fact that Ferrari brought 11 different upgrades to the Miami International Autodrome this weekend, as they hoped to get closer in their performance levels to the dominant Mercedes outfit.

This was the first grand prix of the season that Ferrari have not claimed a podium, having looked comfortably like the second-fastest team on the grid in the opening three races.

However, McLaren also brought upgrades to Miami and looked resurgent, picking up 48 of a maximum 58 points throughout the sprint weekend, while Red Bull look to be finding their feet, at least when it comes to Max Verstappen's car.

Ferrari have a real threat on their hands to keep hold of their second-place constructors' championship standing.

READ MORE: FIA president announces massive F1 U-turn as exciting timeline confirmed

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F1 Ferrari Charles Leclerc Miami Grand Prix
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