Ferrari Fined Following Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Fuel Misunderstanding

Charles LeClerc and Ferrari were looking at a post-race investigation concerning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Jo Bauer; a Formula One Technical Delegate referred him to the stewards because of a breach of the sporting code.

According to a statement from Bauer, the fuel declaration for car number 16 was checked before the vehicle left the pit lane. There was a big difference between what the team declared and the amount of fuel inside the vehicle. It was not in compliance with the regulations.

The decision was made by the FIA to investigate the incident even before the race was done. Ferrari decided to let LeClerc race without burdening him with the information.

LeClerc began the last race of the season from third place on the grid behind Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

The amount of fuel in his car was checked before it left the pit lane to go on to the starting grid.

Stewards deferred a decision for after the race. Representatives from Ferrari were to be summoned to appear for a hearing.

LeClerc finished in third place behind six-time champion Hamilton and Red Bull’s Verstappen. Hamilton's teammate, Valtteri Bottas, finished fourth while LeClerc’s teammate Sebastian Vettel finished in the fifth position. It made for an overall predictable result at the last race of the season.

In a later statement yesterday, race stewards determined the team should be fined an amount of 50,000 euros for the inaccurate declaration made concerning the amount of fuel in the car.

The outcome of the short probe has been seen as lenient. It is after period during which the cars and performance had been the subject of analysis and criticism.

The intentional goal was to have the race results for LeClerc canceled, resulting in a disqualification. That would deprive him of 15 points.

LeClerc and Verstappen have been battling for third place on the standings for some time now, but the recent race results have put the Red Bull driver ahead of LeClerc.

LeClerc finishes the season with 264 points while Verstappen finished with 278. Hamilton came in first place overall with almost a hundred point lead over Bottas in second place with 413 points.

Bottas had 326, and Vettel finished at fifth place with 240.

LeClerc’s performance during his first season has been exemplary. The Ferrari duo is expected to remain the same for the 2020 season along with the Red Bull and Mercedes team.