Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc endured a painful finish at the Miami Grand Prix after a costly late mistake and a post race penalty pushed him down to eighth place in the final standings.
The Monegasque racer had looked set for an impressive result for most of the evening. Starting from the second row, Leclerc made an excellent getaway and briefly moved into the race lead during the opening stages. However, an early Safety Car period changed the momentum of the contest, allowing Lando Norris and rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli to move ahead.
Despite losing ground, Leclerc remained competitive and comfortably held third position for much of the race. Ferrari appeared on course for a valuable podium finish until the closing laps when pressure from Oscar Piastri began to increase rapidly.
On the penultimate lap, Piastri successfully overtook Leclerc, dropping the Ferrari man to fourth. Moments later, the race completely unravelled for the Scuderia driver. Entering Turn Three on the final lap, Leclerc lost control and slid into the barriers, damaging his SF 26 heavily.
Although he managed to continue, the Ferrari suffered severe handling issues, especially through right hand corners. With the wounded car struggling for grip and balance, Leclerc was overtaken by George Russell and Max Verstappen before reaching the chequered flag.
The drama did not end there. Race officials launched an investigation after reviewing Leclerc’s actions during the damaged final lap, particularly his repeated corner cutting while trying to nurse the car home. Stewards eventually issued a 20 second time penalty instead of a drive through punishment, ruling that the Ferrari driver gained an advantage by leaving the circuit multiple times.
That decision pushed Leclerc further down the order, placing him behind team mate Lewis Hamilton and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto in the official classification.
Following the race, Leclerc openly accepted responsibility for the disappointing outcome, admitting frustration over what he described as a poor judgement call during the final laps. Despite showing strong pace throughout the event, a chaotic ending turned a potential podium into one of Ferrari’s most frustrating results of the season.
