Charles Leclerc lost seventh place at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after stewards handed him a

Charles Leclerc lost seventh place at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix after stewards handed him a five-second post-race time penalty, Autosprint reported.

It took more than two hours after the checkered flag for the final race classification to settle. Lando Norris won the event ahead of Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, while Kimi Antonelli and Leclerc faced late investigations.

Leclerc dropped from seventh to eighth in the final results following a clash with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson. According to Motorsport, the stewards judged that the Ferrari driver made avoidable contact during their battle in wet conditions.

Pur riconoscendo che il contatto è stato lieve, dopo aver esaminato il duello in pista tra le due vetture, concludiamo che la vettura numero 16 è riuscita ad avvicinarsi alla vettura numero 30 e poi a sorpassarla proprio a causa del contatto, the stewards stated, as reported by Motorsport.

Virgilio noted that race officials issued a five-second penalty instead of the standard ten seconds because increasing rain created low-grip conditions on the circuit. OA Sport recorded the exact finishing gap as Leclerc crossed the line 72.037 seconds behind the winner before the time addition applied.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli also received a five-second penalty for an unsafe release during his second pit stop. Autosprint reported that the Mercedes driver pulled out into the path of Franco Colapinto’s Alpine.

The sanction left Antonelli’s position unaffected because he held a comfortable margin over Oscar Piastri behind him. Autosprint confirmed that Piastri finished more than 20 seconds back, preserving Antonelli’s fifth-place finish.

Oliver Bearman incurred a similar unsafe release penalty during the race, according to OA Sport, though it left his 17th place unchanged.

The revised order brought gains for Racing Bulls as Lawson moved up to seventh. Autosprint listed the official results with Norris leading Verstappen and Hadjar.

*Includes a five-second time penalty.

Virgilio reported that stewards reduced the standard penalty because they took increasing rainfall and low circuit grip into account during the incident.

OA Sport tracked the incident to the end of the 70th lap at the apex of turn 12 before Leclerc completed the pass.

More on this story: Stewards Penalize Charles Leclerc While Lawson Receives Boost · Lawson and Verstappen Get Grid Penalties After Mexico GP Clash

More on Grand Prix: Rafa Camara Replaces Ocon at Haas for Brazilian Grand Prix · Mexican Grand Prix Final Race Classification Changes · Haas F1 Team Replaces Ocon with Ryo Hirakawa for Mexico City Grand Prix