Charles Leclerc lost seventh place in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to Liam Lawson after receiving a five-second penalty for a late-race collision at Turn 12, as reported by RACER.
The Turn 12 Penalty Decision
The incident unfolded on the penultimate lap as Lawson defended his position from the oncoming Ferrari. Leclerc lunged down the inside at Juncao, the final heavy braking point of the circuit, and clipped the left-rear wheel of the Racing Bulls machine.
While the Monegasque driver crossed the finish line just under two seconds ahead of his rival, race stewards quickly intervened. They slapped Leclerc with a five-second time penalty, dropping him down to eighth place and promoting Lawson to seventh.
Officials acknowledged the impact was minor and that Lawson maintained his lead initially. However, the stewards noted that the contact damaged the left-rear rim of car number 30 and disrupted the New Zealander enough to allow Leclerc to draw alongside and execute a clean pass five corners later.
“While we acknowledge that the contact was minor, having examined the fight on track between the two cars, we conclude that Car 16 was able to get closer to and thereafter overtake Car 30 because of the contact,” the stewards explained in their official ruling.
The panel also considered the challenging wet conditions at Interlagos. That factor led them to issue a five-second penalty instead of a more severe 10-second sanction.
Lawson Battles Through Changing Grip
For Lawson, the seventh-place finish capped off a chaotic afternoon that began with a stellar launch off the starting grid. Starting from third position, he sliced past his competitors to run second behind the front-runners on opening lap.
🚨 OFFICIAL: Charles Leclerc has received a 5-second time penalty for his collision with Liam Lawson at Turn 12 during the São Paulo Grand Prix. The stewards determined that Leclerc was responsible for the contact, which allowed him to close the gap and eventually overtake… pic.twitter.com/UfmAXEoS3g
As track conditions evolved and the race matured, the Racing Bulls charger steadily lost pace against faster machinery. Falling back into the clutches of the midfield pack, he fought hard to salvage points before the late-race drama with Leclerc erupted.
It was a good start,
Lawson said, reflecting on his early charge. Just had really good grip on Lap 1. To be honest, I actually thought at some point I might try and attack Kimi through the lap. But once the pace stabilizes, we don’t really have the speed to fight them.
Speedcafe noted that this gritty drive marked Lawson’s fifth consecutive points finish in the championship standings. It also netted him two valuable driver points despite the late contact that left him reporting rim damage.
Stewards Issue Penalties for Unsafe Releases in Sao Paulo
The stewards kept busy throughout the Sao Paulo weekend reviewing pit lane incidents alongside on-track skirmishes. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli picked up a five-second penalty for an unsafe release directly into the path of Franco Colapinto’s Alpine.
Despite that infraction, Antonelli maintained fifth position in the final order. Haas driver Oliver Bearman drew a similar unsafe release penalty involving Leclerc, though it failed to alter his 17th-place classification.
The revised classification leaves Leclerc looking for answers ahead of the next round as the championship battle intensifies. Meanwhile, Lawson walks away from Sao Paulo with his points streak intact and a clear view of how his Racing Bulls car handles under pressure.
Earlier coverage: Charles Leclerc Penalized for Overtake on Liam Lawson in São Paulo
