Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has slammed the ‘nonsense decision’ to penalise Charles Leclerc during the Japanese Grand Prix. The sanction meant that Max Verstappen had enough points to clinch his second world title but Ferrari boss Binotto says it’s ‘unacceptable’ how ‘fast’ they came to a decision. Speaking to Sky Italy, Binotto said: ‘How fast FIA took the decision to sanction Leclerc is ridiculous and unacceptable. Leclerc crossed the line in second, ahead of Verstappen’s team-mate Perez, but was later knocked down a place after the time penalty was applied. It was not immediately clear whether full points would be awarded for a race that ran just over half distance, but that was quickly rectified as Verstappen was crowned champion. After the race, Verstappen needed to be told he had become the two-time Formula One world champion following Leclerc’s five-second penalty.

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