The F1 race stewards have confirmed €10,000 Ferrari fine following Charles Leclerc pit lane crash with Lando Norris during Friday night’s practice for Formula 1‘s Singapore Grand Prix.
The crash unfolded shortly after the practice session had been interrupted by red flags, which resulted in a chaotic and rushed atmosphere in the pits as teams scrambled to get their drivers back on the track once the session resumed.
Leclerc was initially instructed by his Ferrari team to leave his garage, however, at that precise moment, Lando Norris was already driving past the Ferrari garage in the fast lane on his way out.
The Ferrari pit crew, who were responsible for the safe release of Leclerc, failed to notice Norris approaching and gave their driver unclear and unsafe instructions, leading him to enter the path of the McLaren.
As a result, Leclerc’s car collided with Norris’s McLaren and pushed it into the pit wall, causing damage to the front wing.
The damage was significant enough that Norris had to be pulled back into his garage for immediate repairs, with the wing replaced so he could rejoin the session.
Leclerc’s car on the other hand did not sustain any damage and the Monesgaque was able to resume his practice run without further incident.
Following the incident, the FIA Formula 1 race stewards launched an investigation to establish fault and any necessary penalties.
Their inquiry involved reviewing multiple data sources including on-board camera footage, team radio communications, and testimonies from the drivers and team representatives.
The stewards concluded that the Ferrari team was responsible for the unsafe release of Charles Leclerc into the path of Lando Norris.
In their formal decision, the stewards articulated that the team member responsible for Leclerc’s release misjudged the situation and provided unclear instructions because Leclerc could not see Norris’s approaching car.
The lack of a safe release protocol led directly to the collision between the two drivers inside the pit lane’s fast lane.
Given the severity of the breach and drawing on precedent from similar pit lane incidents, the stewards concluded that Ferrari’s error warranted a stricter sanction and imposed a severe €10,000 fine which is notably hefty compared to the typical €5,000 penalty handed out for such infractions.
Piastri paces red-flagged F1 Singapore GP FP2 as Leclerc crashes into Norris
F1 Singapore Grand Prix FP2 Results
Importantly, Leclerc himself was not penalized further since he was acting under instructions from his team and did not have the ability to avoid the collision given unclear communications.
A statement from the FIA stewards read: “After a red flag period, several cars exited their garages. Car 16 (LEC) was initially instructed by a team member to leave his pitbox.
“At that moment however, it was overlooked that car 4 (NOR) was already passing in the fast lane, approaching the Ferrari pitbox and directly into the path of LEC.
“The team member, who was responsible for the safe conduct of releasing car 16, misjudged the situation and gave unclear instructions to LEC, who could not see NOR’s car. As a result, both cars collided in the fast lane.
“Having noted precedents for this type of breach, the Stewards are of the view that this breach warrants a more severe penalty than previously applied hence the penalty above is imposed.”
The chaotic nature of Charles Leclerc pit lane crash with Lando Norris was amplified by multiple red flags during FP2—one caused by Liam Lawson crashing at Turn 17 and another due to George Russell crashing out at Turn 16.
These stoppages compressed the available time in practice and increased pressure on teams to quickly get laps done once the session resumed.
“It was a bit of confusion with the two McLarens going out, looked like they were going out at the same time,” Leclerc said. “So the mechanic thought that they would go out a bit slow, and so I didn’t have the message to stop.
“In these cases, you kind of rely on the team. But these things happen, and it was also in a tricky moment because with all the red flags, everybody was in such a rush to get out to do some laps.
“So, it’s a combination of things. It’s not something you want, but these things happen.”
READ MORE:
Fernando Alonso takes surprise P1 in opening Singapore GP practice ahead of Charles Leclerc
