Leclerc: I'm guilty of ruining a good race; Verstappen also faces a penalty

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc said he was to blame for ruining a very good race in the chaotic finale of the Formula One Miami Grand Prix, in which he ended up finishing eighth after a 20-second penalty.

Leclerc started from the second row in Miami on Sunday, but made a good start to the race and took first place, but after the safety car was deployed on the track, he fell to third place behind reigning champion Lando Norris of McLaren and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.

He held third place until the very end, but was overtaken by McLaren's Oscar Piastre on the penultimate lap. The Ferrari driver made a mistake on the final lap, spun on the track and damaged his car. He managed to continue the race, but was overtaken by Mercedes' George Russell and Red Bull's Max Verstappen towards the end.

Leclerc was under investigation after the race for cutting a corner while turning on the track, which is why he was given a 20-second penalty tonight instead of going through the pits, and he eventually dropped from sixth to eighth place behind teammate Lewis Hamilton and Alpin driver Franco Colapinto.

Before Skye was sentenced, he said that he was to blame.

"I'm very disappointed with my mistake. It shouldn't have happened. On the last lap I was driving at my maximum and I thought it was a good idea to let Oscar pass so I could overtake him. I knew otherwise it would be very difficult to stay in front. But it was a very bad decision and in just four laps I ruined a very good race and I'm very frustrated about it," said Leclerc.

He told the stewards at the hearing that after hitting the wall he was unable to turn right properly, but they assessed that "the fact that he had a mechanical problem does not constitute a justified reason for shortening several corners."

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull was penalized five seconds for breaking the rules when exiting the pits, namely for crossing the white line that separates the exit from the pits to the track, which the stewards immediately noticed, but left the decision on the penalty until after the race.

Verstappen would have dropped from fifth to sixth place due to that penalty, but due to Leclerc's 20-second penalty, the Dutchman retained his position.

The Formula 1 championship continues on May 24th with the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.