FIA stewards have decided that Charles Leclerc should have been given a penalty for his collision with Oscar Piastri at last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix. The incident became a major talking point after the Ferrari driver escaped punishment, while Lewis Hamilton was penalised for a similar clash earlier in the race.
Hamilton penalty contrasted with Leclerc's escape
On the opening lap in Belgium, Hamilton took out George Russell as they battled for position, forcing the Mercedes driver to retire. Russell agreed it looked like a racing incident, but the stewards still hit Hamilton with a five-second penalty. A few laps later, Leclerc tangled with Piastri by moving under braking, despite Piastri making no genuine attempt to overtake. On that occasion, the stewards decided not to hand down any penalty.
The inconsistency was discussed at a meeting between drivers and the FIA ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, according to The Race. It is claimed the stewards have now accepted that Leclerc should have been punished after a "lengthy debate" among those in attendance. The meeting was the first of two annual gatherings to discuss how incidents are dealt with and potential changes to F1's driving guidelines.
Leclerc reflects on the incident
Leclerc argued the situation in Belgium was not entirely black-and-white, although he previously conceded that he may have overstepped the mark. Reflecting on his battle with Piastri, he said: "At the end of the day my view in the car is that I try to push the things to the limit. I think with Oscar it was a bit on the other side, so that's probably not the way I want to race all the time. It's also risky for me at the end of the day. You're always trying to leave the smallest place available. That was maybe a bit too sketchy."
Leclerc will be hoping to avoid any similar incidents in Hungary this weekend as Ferrari look to head into the summer break on a positive note.
