Charles Leclerc’s nightmare final lap in Miami: spin, damage and investigation for Ferrari driver – VIDEO. Charles Leclerc suffers a nightmare final lap at the 2026 Miami GP.

Charles Leclerc’s Miami Grand Prix ended in dramatic fashion, with the Ferrari driver seeing a strong result slip away in the final moments of the race. After fighting for a podium finish throughout the event, the Monegasque dropped from fourth to sixth place on the last lap and now faces a potential penalty following an investigation by the stewards.

One lap too many for Leclerc

The 2026 Miami GP proved to be one lap too many for Charles Leclerc. Despite delivering a determined performance throughout the race, even with a Ferrari that appeared less competitive than both Mercedes and McLaren over race distance, the Scuderia driver remained firmly in contention for a podium finish.

Up until the penultimate lap, Leclerc was battling Oscar Piastri for third place. However, everything unraveled on the final tour. Starting lap 57 in fourth position, having just been overtaken by the McLaren driver, the Monegasque attempted to stay close through the fast Turn 3-4 sequence. It was there that trouble struck.

The Ferrari #16 spun after what Charles Leclerc himself later admitted was a driving error, making slight contact with the wall. That moment effectively ended his hopes of a top-three finish and triggered a chain of consequences that would define his race outcome.

Investigation and penalty risk

The impact caused damage to the front-left suspension of Leclerc’s Ferrari, forcing him to slow dramatically. With limited control over the car, he began cutting multiple corners, as it became extremely difficult for him to properly rotate the car through the turns.

This loss of pace allowed both George Russell and Max Verstappen to close the gap rapidly and overtake him just before the finish line, relegating Leclerc to sixth place under the chequered flag.

However, the situation may worsen further for the Ferrari driver. The repeated corner cutting has put Leclerc under investigation by the stewards, and a penalty now appears likely. A five-second time penalty would not change his position, given that Lewis Hamilton finished nine seconds behind. But a more severe sanction — which cannot be ruled out considering the number of corners cut — could see Leclerc drop even further down the final classification.

For Ferrari, it represents a frustrating conclusion to a race that had promised much more, underlining once again how fine the margins are in the 2026 Formula 1 season.