“We’ll look at it”– FIA to consider IndyCar rule that could have taken displaced Charles Leclerc from pole position start in Monaco.
Charles Leclerc’s crash in Monaco fumed the following three drivers in the pecking order, including his teammate Carlos Sainz, as they lost their fair chance to have a shot at the pole.
Now, FIA race director Michael Masi has confirmed that FIA will look into the IndyCar rule that would have stripped Leclerc from his pole position; it depends on its viability in F1.
“Like everything when everything arises, the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams look at everything and consider it on its merits,” Masi said. “Yes, I know the IndyCar rule, which is also a rule in several other FIA international series and domestic championships around the world.
“We’ll look at it and, together with all of the key stakeholders, determine if it’s suitable or not.”
Monaco needs this rule.
This is not the first time an incident like this happened in Monaco; Michael Schumacher was thrown out of qualifying for parking his car at La Rascasse in 2006 in a deliberate move, while the stewards cleared Nico Rosberg’s off at Mirabeau in 2014.
However, most of the grid accepted Leclerc’s honesty, as they claimed that the crash was dangerous and believed the Monegasque theory that if it were deliberate, he would have gone light into the wall.
“Having looked it, looked at the data and also listening to the team communication, I don’t think any driver would go out there to severely damage their car to that degree, in any circumstance, because of the consequences that may arise out of that,” Masi said.
Despite all of this, Leclerc couldn’t participate on the race day, and the podium was won by Max Verstappen, Sainz and Lando Norris, in this particular order.
