Charles Leclerc penalized on the grid in Abu Dhabi
Deemed responsible for the collision with Sergio Perez on the first lap of the Sakhir Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc received a 3-place grid penalty for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next Sunday.
After achieving a remarkable qualifying performance at the wheel of a struggling Ferrari this season, the Monegasque driver couldn’t translate this impressive showing into the race. Indeed, Charles Leclerc, who made a late braking move at turn 4 in the first lap, spun the future race winner, Sergio Perez. The accident also involved Max Verstappen, forcing him to cut the corner and eventually retire.
Charles Leclerc had declared on Canal + microphone: “If there is one who is at fault in all this, it’s definitely me. But very honestly, I don’t think I made a big mistake. I was next to Max [Verstappen] and I tried to brake a little later than him, I expected Checo [Perez] to try on the outside of Valtteri [Bottas] in that corner. But in the end, he didn’t try and when I saw he was cutting back to get behind Valtteri [Bottas], it was too late for me to slow down the car.”
Charles Leclerc will therefore be penalized by 3 places on the starting grid for the next and final Grand Prix of the season at the Yas Marina circuit in two weeks.
