Charles Leclerc receives ‘drive through’ penalty after Miami GP – latest

“The driver informed us that the car appeared fine save that the car would not negotiate the righthand corners properly.

“Given this problem, he was forced to cut chicanes on the way to the chequered flag. We determined that the fact that he had to cut the chicanes (i.e. to leave the track) meant that he gained a lasting advantage by leaving the track in that manner.

“The fact that he had a mechanical issue of some sort did not amount to a justifiable reason. We accordingly impose a Drive Through penalty on Car 16, given the number of times the car left the track and gained an advantage.

“We also considered whether there was an additional breach in continuing to drive a car with an obvious and discernible mechanical issue. We determined that there was no evidence of there being an obvious of discernible mechanical issue. We therefore took no further action in relation to that potential infringement.”

On race: “Difficult race, the beginning felt OK, those early laps I was in the fight but the hard tyre was just nowhere.

“The last 10 laps were much more competitive, I made some big changes to my differentials and brake bias, much closer to what Kimi has been running, made a bigger impact than I thought – still not a good weekend, this place is a real tough one for me. The real test will come in the next few.”

On Kimi – have you underestimated him? “Not at all. He’s a fantastic driver and he’s been exceptionally quick since day 1, you don’t win all of the championships as a youngster if you don’t have the speed, but I’ve still got the confidence in myself, I’ve also been, I’ve not forgotten how to drive.

“It’s a tricky run, four races down, a long way to go and we’ll reassess things over the next few weeks.”

Kimi Antonelli overcame a fierce battle with Lando Norris to clinch a third successive victory and extend his title lead as the Miami Grand Prix survived the weather.

The Italian ultimately got the jump on Norris at the pit-stops and fended off the reigning champion to stretch his advantage in the standings to 20 points from team-mate George Russell.

It’s not been the most straightforward weekend; the pace seemed encouraging today. Very tricky around here, clearly we’re a step closer in performance.

“A mixed bag, really. We got undercut, we should have boxed first. Hats off to Merc and Kimi.

“He didn’t make any mistakes, I have to be happy, I’m gutted to miss out on the win but not the pace to get past him.

“So and so. I still enjoyed the racing, some things have improved, some have stayed the same. It looked good. You still have to be tactical with how you use the battery. I have to be proud of everyone.”

Another proud moment for Kimi Antonelli – with his dad watching on – as he takes to the top step of the podium outside the Hard Rock Stadium.

Is he becoming the world championship favourite? His lead is now 20 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell.

1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 100 points

2. George Russell (Mercedes) – 80 points

3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 63 points

5. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 49 points

6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 43 points

7. Max Verstappen Red Bull) – 28 points

8. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 17 points

9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 16 points

10. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 10 points

“The pace was strong, I was able to stay close, we did a massive undercut and we managed to bring it home.

“This is just the beginning, the road is still long, we’re working super hard and the team did an incredible job. I’ll enjoy this one.”