Leclerc punished for first lap crash: Three place penalty in Abu Dhabi

F1 News

6 December 2020 at 20:11
4
  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Charles Leclerc has been blamed for the chaos during the first lap. The Ferrari driver tangled with eventual race winner Sergio Perez, and therefore knocked the Mexican off the track. With all this going on, Max Verstappen had to move across the track which caused the Dutchman to crash into the wall. 

Punishment for Leclerc

The FIA immediately announced that the incident will be investigated and shortly after the race the FIA issued a statement. Leclerc will be punished with a three-place grid penalty for the final Grand Prix of the season in Abu Dhabi next week.

Leclerc himself saw the accident more as a racing accident but later admitted that if anyone was to blame, it was him. The crash forced Max Verstappen to swerve and he ended up in the wall together with Leclerc, Perez managed to win the race in the end.

Also points on license

In addition to a three-place penalty, Leclerc also receives two penalty points on his super license. For the Monegasque, that doesn't matter much, as he only has three in total over the past 12 months.