Charles Leclerc keeps UAE third place, Ferrari fined 50,000 euros

The FIA technical delegate found a “significant difference”, later revealed to be 4.88kg, between the amount in the car and that declared.

Ferrari were fined 50,000 euros ($55,110) on Sunday for a fuel irregularity on Charles Leclerc’s car in Formula One’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but the Monegasque driver retained third place.

Charles Leclerc of Monaco puts on his helmet during the first free practice at the Yas Marina racetrack in Abu Dhabi. (AP)

The amount of fuel the car was carrying was checked before it left the pitlane to go on to the Yas Marina starting grid.

The FIA technical delegate found a “significant difference”, later revealed to be 4.88kg, between the amount in the car and that declared.

Stewards, who included former racer Derek Warwick, determined the fine for an inaccurate declaration after summoning Ferrari representatives post-race.

Leclerc had been fighting for third in the overall standings with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished second to Mercedes’s race winner Lewis Hamilton.

Verstappen’s team boss Christian Horner had said before the start he expected Leclerc to be disqualified.

“The technical regulations are black or white... usually with a case like that it’s either legal or it isn’t,” he told Sky Sports television.