Formula 1 News: Ferrari fined 10K Euros for pitlane collision

Ferrari has been fined €10,000 for a pitlane incident during practice at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, where Charles Leclerc was unsafely released into the path of McLaren’s Lando Norris, causing a collision on the Marina Bay Street Circuit pitlane.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

In Friday night’s second practice session, Leclerc was released from the Ferrari garage directly into Norris’ path, damaging the McLaren driver’s front wing and forcing him back to the garage for repairs. The FIA stewards deemed Ferrari responsible for the misjudgment, issuing the fine after reviewing the incident.

According to the FIA stewards’ report, the incident occurred after a red flag when multiple cars exited their garages. A Ferrari team member instructed Leclerc to leave his pitbox, failing to notice Norris approaching in the fast lane. The stewards noted that unclear instructions and Leclerc’s inability to see Norris led to the collision. Citing similar past incidents, they imposed a heftier penalty than usual.

Leclerc attributed the incident to confusion caused by both McLaren cars exiting their garage in quick succession. “It looked like they were going out at the same time, so my mechanic thought they’d be slower,” Leclerc explained. “I didn’t get the message to stop. With all the red flags, everyone was rushing to get out, so it was a tricky moment. It’s not ideal, but these things happen.”