Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc holds longest current F1 streak without a collision penalty

Charles Leclerc has quietly built one of the most striking disciplinary records on the current Formula 1 grid: the Ferrari driver has not received a penalty for a collision since the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. With the 2026 season now well advanced, that leaves the Ferrari driver approaching six years without being penalised for causing contact with another driver.

The statistic stands out even more when compared with the rest of the field. Most current drivers have received a collision-related penalty considerably more recently, including Lewis Hamilton at Spa in 2026, Carlos Sainz in Madrid this season and Max Verstappen at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. George Russell’s most recent entry dates back to Las Vegas 2023, but even that remains almost three years more recent than Charles Leclerc’s last recorded collision penalty.

Charles Leclerc’s collision-penalty streak dates back to Sakhir 2020

Among drivers with a previous collision penalty on record, Charles Leclerc therefore has the longest active gap by a clear margin. His most recent one dates back to Sakhir in 2020, meaning every full season from 2021 onwards has passed without another collision penalty appearing against his name.

That should not be confused with saying the Monegasque has gone almost six years without contact, incidents or aggressive wheel-to-wheel racing. Formula 1 drivers can be involved in contact without being judged predominantly or wholly responsible, and not every incident results in a penalty. The notable point is specifically that the Ferrari driver has avoided being penalised for causing a collision over that period.

It is a particularly interesting detail given how frequently Charles Leclerc has competed near the front of the field, where close racing, contested braking zones and first-lap battles naturally create opportunities for contact. The streak does not measure outright speed or championship performance, but it does offer a useful perspective on how rarely stewards have held the Monegasque responsible for collisions in recent seasons.

How the rest of the F1 field compares

The contrast with several of Charles Leclerc’s rivals is substantial. Carlos Sainz has the most recent listed penalty following Madrid 2026, while Lewis Hamilton’s latest came at Spa earlier this season. Alexander Albon and Sergio Pérez were both penalised at Silverstone in 2026, with Sergio Pérez’s incident occurring during the Sprint.

Several other drivers also have 2026 entries, including Nico Hülkenberg at Monaco, Oscar Piastri in Canada, Esteban Ocon in China and Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the Chinese Sprint. Further down the list, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen both have their most recent collision penalties recorded during 2025.

A rare clean-racing statistic for the Ferrari driver

The two drivers listed without any collision penalties yet, Arvid Lindblad and Isack Hadjar, naturally represent a different case because they do not have the same length of Formula 1 career against which to measure such a streak. Among drivers who have previously been penalised, Charles Leclerc’s record is therefore the clear outlier.

Almost six years is an unusually long period in modern Formula 1, where a packed calendar creates dozens of race starts and countless wheel-to-wheel situations each season. Even one misjudgement can end a clean run immediately, which makes the length of Charles Leclerc’s current streak noteworthy in its own right.

For Ferrari, it is also a positive individual statistic during a season in which Charles Leclerc has frequently been required to fight closely with rivals on track. Whatever happens over the remaining rounds of 2026, the fact remains that no other established driver on the current grid has gone as long since their most recent collision penalty.