Charles Leclerc was doing well to work his way through the field along with Max Verstappen, but had to come in early because a tear-off got stuck in his brake duct. That event appears to have taken a remarkable turn: it seems that the tear-off came from Verstappen.
Possibly caused by Verstappen?
Onboard footage shows Verstappen pulling a tear-off of his visor and it then blowing towards Leclerc's right front wheel. Not long after, the Ferrari driver reports smoke coming from his right front brake, after which he had to come in for a stop.
ADVERTISEMENT
In his late pit stop, Leclerc drove one kilometre too fast in the pit lane, for which he was penalised with a five-second penalty. Mattia Binotto explains that a sensor stopped working due to overheating, possibly caused by the tear-off that ended up in Leclerc's brake. This caused the actual speed in the pit lane to be displayed incorrectly.
Read more about:
latest news
Japanese Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 27.03.26
Practice 1
02:30 AM
Practice 2
06:00 AM
Saturday 28.03.26
Practice 3
02:30 AM
Qualification
06:00 AM
Sunday 29.03.26
Race
05:00 AM
Friday 27.03.26
Practice 1
Fri 02:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 06:00 AM
Saturday 28.03.26
Practice 3
Sat 02:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 06:00 AM
Sunday 29.03.26
Race
Sun 05:00 AM
Times are in your local timezone
Rumors
Popular on GPBlog
1
F1 hopeful forced to pause career: 'My health doesn’t allow me to continue safely'
4254 times read
2
Hamilton and Kim Kardashian spark social media buzz ahead of Suzuka weekend
2631 times read
3
Wolff’s son passes over his father’s Mercedes stars for favourite driver
2027 times read
4
MotoGP Brazilian Grand Prix Results: Aprilia dominate as Bezzecchi takes victory
1386 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 51 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 47 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 34 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 33 | |
5 | HaasHAA | 17 | |
6 | McLarenMCL | 15 | |
7 | AlpineALP | 9 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 8 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 8 | |
10 | Racing BullsRCB | 4 |
Loading
