Leclerc penalized post-race for Lawson contact at Interlagos
Charles Leclerc received a five-second time penalty after the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix for causing contact with Liam Lawson on lap 69. The penalty dropped Leclerc from seventh to eighth place and promoted Lawson to seventh.
Penalty details
Charles Leclerc finished the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix in seventh place on the road but dropped to eighth after stewards imposed a five-second time penalty for contact with Liam Lawson.[1]
The incident occurred on lap 69 at Turn 12 (Juncao) during a battle for position in wet conditions. Leclerc made contact with the left-rear wheel of Lawson's Racing Bulls car.[2]
Stewards determined that Leclerc caused the collision and that it enabled him to close the gap and overtake Lawson five corners later.[3]
Lawson crossed the line 1.816 seconds behind Leclerc on the road. The penalty reversed their positions in the final classification.[1]
Stewards' reasoning
Leclerc's Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton finished ninth and was lapped, so the penalty did not affect positions behind the top eight.[3]
Related reading
- [1]Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli hit with post-race penalties in Sao Paulo (formula1). Accessed 2026-11-09.
- [2]Leclerc loses two points for repeating his 'GP2 move' (the-race). Accessed 2026-11-09.
- [3]Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash (motorsport). Accessed 2026-11-09.