Lewis Hamilton handed welcome boost after Miami Grand Prix following FIA decision

Lewis Hamilton has been handed a welcome boost after the Miami Grand Prix, after F1's governing body, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), handed his teammate a 20-second penalty.

The 41-year-old originally finished seventh but benefited from the sanction imposed on Charles Leclerc, who lost control on the final lap whilst pursuing Oscar Piastri for third place.

The penalty cost Leclerc four championship points while Hamilton gained two additional points from the revised classification.

Hamilton now sits equal on 51 points in the standings with McLaren's Lando Norris after the post-race adjustment.

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Alpine's Franco Colapinto also advanced one position as a result of the penalty, collecting two extra points.

Leclerc lost control of his vehicle at turn three during the final lap while chasing Piastri for a podium position.

The Monegasque driver avoided a complete retirement when contact with the barrier straightened his car, allowing him to continue.

However, the impact left his Ferrari with significant damage, impacting his ability to navigate right-hand corners properly.

Leclerc was forced to cut chicanes on four separate occasions as he nursed his stricken car towards the chequered flag.

George Russell and Max Verstappen both caught him on the line, compounding what had been a promising race for the Ferrari driver who led early on.

Race stewards issued their ruling more than two hours after the chequered flag had fallen, converting what would have been a drive-through penalty into a 20-second time addition.

The FIA statement read: "The driver informed us that the car appeared fine, save that the car would not negotiate the right-hand corners properly.

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"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."

Following the last lap crash, Leclerc said: "Very disappointed with myself. The last lap mistake is obviously all on me and it cost us P3 or P4.

"More likely it would have been a P4, but a P3 was still right there. Very disappointed with myself. Mistakes happen, but in the last lap of the race like that, it's frustrating and not the level where I should be at.

"It's been a very strong start to the season, not many mistakes, and luckily this one doesn't cost us too many points, but it could have ended in the wall, and that's it. It's a shame."

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli claimed victory, extending his advantage to 20 points as the youngest driver ever to lead the world championship.

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