Ferrari received a formal warning from the FIA after an impeding incident involving Charles Leclerc and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson during Friday practice at the Monaco Grand Prix. The stewards reviewed video, radio communications, timing data and marshalling system evidence before concluding that Ferrari’s communication error caused the unnecessary block. Ferrari told Leclerc that there were “three seconds to Bearman, five seconds to Lawson,” which Leclerc interpreted as meaning Lawson was safely five seconds behind Bearman. In reality, the gap between Bearman and Lawson was only two seconds, leading Leclerc to impede Lawson at Turn 18, also known as La Rascasse.
The FIA said the misunderstanding stemmed from Ferrari’s team radio message, and the team accepted that it needed to improve its communication procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future. While the incident was not treated as a serious sporting breach, the warning adds to an already busy weekend for Leclerc. Earlier on Thursday in Monaco, he had also been summoned to the stewards for arriving late to the FIA press conference, a minor infringement that resulted in Ferrari receiving a suspended fine of €5,000. McLaren received the same penalty after Lando Norris was also late.
Ferrari had a strong opening day in Monte Carlo despite the stewards’ attention. Leclerc topped the first practice session and was then classified second behind teammate Lewis Hamilton in FP2, showing competitive pace on the tight street circuit. However, the impeding issue with Lawson became one of the key disciplinary moments of the day and briefly overshadowed Ferrari’s on-track performance.
Lawson, meanwhile, avoided punishment for a separate incident in FP1 after crossing the pit exit line while a red light was showing. Television footage showed him leaving the pit lane just as the light changed. The FIA reviewed the incident and noted that Lawson had been warned he had seven seconds left before leaving the garage. He reported over the radio that he had been watching the countdown clock above the pit exit, which still displayed two seconds remaining before the light turned red. The stewards emphasized that the countdown clock is not official and does not override the pit exit light, and that there is no synchronization between the two.
Despite the breach, the FIA decided against issuing a penalty because of the mitigating circumstances. The stewards said Lawson had less than a second to react once the light changed, and stopping abruptly could have left him stranded on a live track. Taking that into account, they ruled that no sanction was necessary.
The Monaco practice day therefore ended with Ferrari receiving an official warning for impeding, Leclerc escaping a harsher penalty, and Lawson also avoiding punishment after the pit lane light incident.
