Ferrari Boss DISAPPOINTED After Charles Leclerc\’s \’Time Penalty,\’ Could\’ve Stopped Verstappen\’s Title

The Japanese Grand Prix ended on Sunday with delight to some and frustration to others. After the rain played spoilsport, Max Verstappen was crowned champion. Max\’s win was accompanied by a controversy, as Ferrari\’s Charles Leclerc was given a penalty. Team Ferrari has been left utterly disappointed and frustrated by the FIA decision.

Will \’Frustrated\’ Ferrari Appeal Against The Decision?

In Suzuka on Sunday, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen claimed the F1 world championship title for the second time in an unusual manner. Max got his hands on the title after the stewards gave Leclerc a 5-sec penalty. The decision-makers believe that the driver had an unfair advantage in the last lap.

In the last lap, Leclerc used the run-off area to navigate the Casio Triangle after running deep under braking. He remained ahead of Sergio Perez when they crossed the finish line. However, the FIA stewards looked into it right away. Verstappen won the title when the officials\’ decision to give the Ferrari driver a five-second time penalty caused to fall him to third. Even though the race only covered 50% of the prescribed distance, full points were nonetheless given out.

Few anticipated that Max Verstappen would have performed well enough to win the Suzuka championship when he crossed the finish line. He had not received the additional point for the best lap. The belief was that by crossing the line second, Leclerc had postponed his coronation.

The Ferrari team and its fans have been left disappointed by the controversial penalty. Therefore, many people have been speculating whether the Prancing Horse will appeal against the steward\’s decision. Meanwhile, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto has addressed the issue. He clarified that he was very surprised and disappointed with the decision. However, the team is not looking to appeal against the ruling. 

It is no secret that Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto is very unhappy about the time penalty for Charles Leclerc. Binotto vowed to protest against the decision to hand Leclerc a 5 sec a five-second penalty, which he termed to be nonsense. As per Binotto, the penalty was on flawed grounds as he thinks that Leclerc did not gain any unfair advantage.

There was a lot of uncertainty as to whether Verstappen had won the race due to the penalty\’s quick attribution following the event and the haziness surrounding the granting of full points. Even Verstappen himself was unsure as he questioned, Are you sure? After learning that he was the winner.

Also Read Who Is Toto Wolff’s MOLE In The FIA? Allegations Raised Over Mercedes’ Inside Connection