FIA hit Ferrari F1 with LATE time penalty after Miami Grand Prix

Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc has been handed a huge penalty post-race, after a dramatic end to the Miami Grand Prix.

Leclerc limped home in sixth after his SF-26 suffered damage from a spin on the final lap of the race, in which Leclerc did brilliantly to keep it out of the barriers entirely.

But with the damage to his car, Leclerc struggled to make the corners during his final lap, and has now been handed a 20-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage multiple times. It means that Leclerc will actually be classified down in eighth, rather than the sixth he acquired on-track.

Leclerc's team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Alpine's Franco Colapinto have been promoted as a result of the penalty, into sixth and seventh respectively.

It caps off a dismal weekend at the Miami International Autodrome, after the Maranello-based outfit had hoped to be challenging Mercedes for the race win after bringing 11 upgrades to the circuit as a result of their hard work during the five-week spring break from the sport.

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FIA announce Leclerc penalty

It was announced in the immediate aftermath of the race that Leclerc was under investigation for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, as well as for driving around the track in an unsafe condition, with his Ferrari car damaged.

Thankfully for Leclerc, no further action was taken on the latter charge because 'no obvious and discernible mechanical issue' was found on his SF-26.

He did however receive a drive through penalty (converted into a 20-second time penalty) for leaving the track multiple times during the final lap, with the FIA statement confirming why a more lenient punishment was not considered.

"Car 16 spun on the last lap at turn three and hit the wall but continued on track," the FIA statement on the matter read. "The driver informed us that the car appeared fine save that the car would not negotiate the right hand corners properly.

"Given this problem, he was forced to cut chicanes on the way to the chequered flag. We determined that the fact that he had to cut the chicanes (i.e. to leave the track) meant that he gained a lasting advantage by leaving the track in that manner.

"The fact that he had a mechanical issue of some sort did not amount to a justifiable reason.

"We accordingly impose a drive through penalty on car 16, given the number of times the car left the track and gained an advantage."

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

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