Charles Leclerc was involved in an unusual incident at FP3 of the 2024 Spanish GP weekend. Leclerc seemingly drove into the McLaren of Lando Norris in a fit of rage, and a penalty was all but certain. However, the stewards’ verdict left Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in disbelief.
Watching the incident replay, Sky Sports’ Karun Chandhok labeled Leclerc’s actions as “road rage“. FIA’s officials, however, let the Monegasque driver walk away with only a reprimand which was extremely surprising. Drivers got to know about the same only after the Qualifying session.
In the aftermath of the session where Norris got the pole, Verstappen told the Briton about Leclerc’s reprimand. Shocked, the Bristol-born driver replied, “That’s what he got?! My whole front wing was f*cked.”
MAX: “It’s quite crazy he (Charles) got a reprimand”
LANDO: “That’s what he got?!”
MAX: “Yeah, only a reprimand!”
LANDO: *visible confusion* “My whole front wing was f-cked”
MAX: “I know yeah, crazy”
not them gossiping pic.twitter.com/4uVgFJ0pW7
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) June 22, 2024
Leclerc went into the stewards’ room after the clash, where he told them how he was upset with Norris for impending him on his fast lap. He mistakenly made contact owing to misjudging the position of Norris’ car.
The FIA stewards said (as per Autosport) “Irrespective of any possible intent, the Stewards consider the move made by Car 16, whilst not being dangerous, to be erratic and therefore issue a driving reprimand in line with precedents.” This explains why Leclerc didn’t receive a penalty.
Charles Leclerc denies intention to deliberately crash into Lando Norris
The way the stewards handled the Leclerc situation was heavily criticized by pundits and the media. A similar situation involving Lance Stroll and Hamilton also saw the former being let off with just a reprimand.
Lewis Hamilton admits his mistake, while Lance Stroll intentionally runs wide and makes contact with his car.
A great example of sportsmanship from Lance Stroll! pic.twitter.com/1R4xu2Oupv
— ً (@tsimiks) June 22, 2024
Leclerc, however, insists that he was not looking to crash into Norris. He admitted to being frustrated with the McLaren driver for impending and wanted to get alongside him. Unfortunately, he didn’t brake at the right moment, leading to the shunt.
These decisions made by the stewards have been touted by many to have set a very dangerous precedent for the drivers going forward because of the idea that they can get away with an action like this easily.
