EXPLAINED: Why Leclerc was hit with a 20-second time penalty after the Miami Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc endured a rollercoaster Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, as the Ferrari driver went from a potential podium finish to being classified eighth after a dramatic last-lap spin and post-race penalty. But why was Leclerc penalised and what rule was broken?

What happened during the race?

Having got the jump on front row starters Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen, Leclerc led the early laps in Miami before eventually finding himself back in P3 during the closing stages of the 57-lap race.

The Monegasque driver lost the position to Oscar Piastri's McLaren on the penultimate lap, and in his quest to regain a spot on the podium, Leclerc suffered a dramatic spin through Turn 3 on the final tour.

Having continued on via a clout with the wall, Leclerc hobbled to the chequered flag but lost positions to both George Russell and Max Verstappen through the final corners.

"Very disappointed with myself," said Leclerc afterwards, before being investigated post-race by the stewards for several infractions.

"The last lap mistake is all on me and it cost us P3 or P4, more likely it would have been a P4 but the P3 was still right there."

What was Leclerc investigated for?

Almost immediately Leclerc was noted for a number of potential offences, including driving his damaged car in an unsafe condition, leaving the track multiple times and gaining an advantage, and clashing with Russell's Mercedes at the final hairpin.

While there was no further action for the latter infraction, Leclerc found himself explaining why he had cut the circuit multiple times on the final lap, stating "that the car appeared fine save that the car would not negotiate the right hand corners properly" according to the stewards.

The stewards added: "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."

You can watch a compilation of Leclerc's off-track excursions on the final lap in the video above.

What did the stewards decide?

The stewards ultimately decided that Leclerc was in breach of Article B1.8.6 of the FIA F1 Regulations for repeatedly cutting the circuit, adding "the fact that he had a mechanical issue of some sort did not amount to a justifiable reason."

The Ferrari driver was handed a drive-through penalty for the infraction, converted into 20 seconds of additional race time. The result dropped Leclerc from P6 down to P8 in the final classification.

However, the stewards also "determined that there was no evidence of there being an obvious of discernible mechanical issue" with the car, and so no further penalty was applied for driving a damaged car in an unsafe condition.