Charles Leclerc admitted he deserved to be given the penalty which saw him dropped to third place at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Monegasque crossed the line second on Sunday, after appearing to hold off the charging Sergio Perez on the final lap. But almost immediately after the race finished, the stewards slapped him with a five-second time penalty for the manner in which he defended that place.
It meant he was dropped to third place on the podium, and Perez completed a one-two for Red Bull at the end of a truncated race due to heavy rain at Suzuka. It also had larger repercussions, as dropping a place meant Leclerc could no longer catch Max Verstappen in the drivers' standings – handing him the 2022 title.
