Brazil GP F1: Leclerc loses P7 to Lawson after penalty

The Brazilian Grand Prix now has its final classification after the stewards' decisions: Charles Leclerc loses seventh place to a five-second penalty and drops to eighth, behind Liam Lawson. Two other drivers, Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, were also penalised without changing position.

Leclerc demoted after the Lawson clash

Leclerc had passed Lawson late in the race and crossed the line 1.816 seconds ahead of the Racing Bulls. The stewards later held him responsible for their collision at Turn 12 and added five seconds to his time. Lawson is therefore seventh and scores six points; Leclerc takes four. Leclerc had started from 14th after a grid penalty. He described Ferrari's showing as a disaster, with a car lacking grip at the start of the wet race. Ferrari now have to understand why both cars lost so much rear grip when conditions changed.

Antonelli and Bearman: two unsafe releases

During the final round of pit stops, Mercedes released Antonelli into the fast lane as Franco Colapinto (Alpine) approached, forcing him to check up. The result was a five-second penalty. Antonelli stays fifth, because his gap to winner Lando Norris only grows from 36.017 to 41.017 seconds. Oliver Bearman received the same sanction for an unsafe release involving Leclerc, but remains 17th as the cars around him finished a lap down.

What it changes in the championship

After these decisions Leclerc has 249 points and Lawson 89. In the constructors' standings Ferrari have 510 points and Racing Bulls 114. Mercedes stay on 652 points and remain constructors' champions: their lead over Ferrari is 142 points instead of the 140 of the provisional result.

Key takeaways

• Leclerc: seventh, then eighth after a five-second penalty.
• Lawson: seventh, six points.
• Antonelli: five seconds, still fifth.
• Bearman: five seconds, still 17th.

The editorial team