Charles Leclerc disagreed with the FIA’s decision to penalize Oscar Piastri for causing a collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli that ultimately resulted in the Ferrari driver’s DNF at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

The incident occurred early in the race, shortly after a safety car restart, when the drivers approached the left-hander Turn 1 three-wide. Lando Norris was leading the pack comfortably, with Oscar Piastri on the inside, Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the middle, and Charles Leclerc on the outside.

As the trio braked for Turn 1, Piastri locked up his front left tires while trying to avoid a collision with Antonelli, who turned into the corner. With no room left, Piastri’s front right tire clipped the left rear tire of Antonelli’s Mercedes. This caused Antonelli to ricochet into Leclerc. The right rear tire of Antonelli’s W16 made hard contact with Leclerc’s front left tire, puncturing it and leaving debris on the track. Without a functional front left tire, Leclerc was forced to retire and park his car by the side of the circuit.

Though Piastri mentioned over team radio that Antonelli had left him no room, the stewards handed the McLaren driver a 10-second penalty for the collision. However, Charles Leclerc felt the blame was not solely on Piastri. Speaking about the incident and the penalty with F1TV, Leclerc said:

“Yeah, I do agree we have a rulebook and the stewards are always trying to do their best, looking at the rulebook and trying to understand who is the one to blame. In this case, I really think Kimi knew and was aware that Oscar was on the inside. Yes, he was not side by side, which is the way it’s written in the rulebook, but you cannot do a corner like nobody is inside if somebody is on the inside, no matter how far he is. So for me, it’s more of a 50-50 blame with Kimi and Oscar. I don’t think Oscar deserved all the blame there.”

Leclerc entered the Brazilian GP weekend on a personal high, having just gotten engaged to his girlfriend, Alexandra St Mleux. Unfortunately, he left Interlagos on a professional low. His fifth-place finish in the Sprint Race, which earned him four points, was the highlight of his weekend.

Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri finished the main race in fifth place, while McLaren teammate Lando Norris won, extending his championship lead to 24 points.

### Ferrari’s Double DNF Dents Constructor’s Championship Hopes

Ferrari suffered a double DNF at the Brazilian GP. Besides Charles Leclerc being taken out in the collision, Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire just past the midway point of the 71-lap race due to damage sustained on the opening lap.

Hamilton was clipped by Carlos Sainz at Turn 1 on the opening lap, causing him to lose several positions. Later in the same lap, Hamilton misjudged his proximity to Franco Colapinto ahead, driving into the back of the Alpine driver. This collision damaged Hamilton’s front wing and earned him a 5-second penalty for causing the accident.

The only points Ferrari scored at Interlagos were from Leclerc’s four points for finishing fifth in the Sprint Race and Hamilton’s two points for seventh place.

This result proved detrimental to Ferrari’s battle against Mercedes for second place in the constructors’ championship. Entering the Brazilian GP weekend, Mercedes trailed Ferrari by just one point. However, after a double podium in the Sprint Race and a 2-4 finish in the feature Grand Prix, Mercedes extended their lead to 36 points.

Adding to Ferrari’s concerns, Max Verstappen delivered a sensational drive from 19th on the grid to finish third, helping Red Bull overtake Ferrari in the standings and claim third place behind Mercedes.

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The Brazilian Grand Prix results have intensified the fight for the championship positions, leaving Ferrari with significant work to do in the upcoming races.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/f1/news-charles-leclerc-disagrees-fia-s-penalty-oscar-piastri-brazilian-gp-disaster