Leclerc penalty reverses Brazilian GP order with Lawson

Charles Leclerc was given a five-second penalty after the Brazilian Grand Prix for contact with Liam Lawson, reversing their finishing order and dropping the Ferrari driver from seventh to eighth. Lawson moved up to seventh in the final classification after the FIA stewards reviewed the incident at Turn 12.

The contact came as the drivers battled for seventh in the closing laps at Interlagos. Leclerc made contact with Lawson at Juncao, but Lawson remained ahead initially. Leclerc passed him five corners later, and both drivers finished the race before the stewards investigated the incident.

The stewards said they heard from both drivers and team representatives and reviewed video and data. They concluded that Leclerc was responsible for the contact and that it disrupted Lawson, allowing Leclerc to close the gap and complete the pass. Under the driving standards guidelines, they said, Lawson had the right to the corner and Leclerc was responsible for avoiding a collision.

The stewards considered the wet conditions and the minor nature of the contact when setting the penalty at five seconds rather than 10. Lawson said the contact damaged his car’s rear-left rim, but the reported...