Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has been penalised for an unusual incident that occurred during Friday practice at the Canadian Grand Prix.
A delay-strewn Friday saw a lot of drivers struggling in adverse conditions, with a fire ending Max Verstappen’s day early, and multiple cars spinning off into the waterlogged grass.
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Leclerc seemed to get through pretty unscathed, with his times in FP1 and FP2 enough to earn him third and fourth place respectively.
However, an incident during the early part of FP2, where conditions were at their most unpredictable, has landed the Monegasque driver in hot water.
Leclerc fined for unusual error
With track conditions seemingly not judged to be suitable for dry tyres by the Ferrari team, they sent Leclerc out on a set of intermediates, before expressing alarm over the radio while the 26-year-old was on his out lap.
Leclerc seemed confused by this radio message, not feeling an issue with his car, before it was announced that race stewards were investigating the team for incorrect tyre usage.
It was alleged that the track had not been deemed as a ‘wet track’ at the time Leclerc was sent out, and intermediate tyres were therefore not permitted to be used.
Following a trip to the stewards after FP2, Leclerc’s team were slapped with a €5000 fine, escaping a grid drop due to the fact the incident occurred during a practice session.
In a statement, race officials said: “The stewards heard from the team representative and reviewed video evidence.
“Car 16 left the pit lane on intermediate tyres at the beginning of the session despite the fact that the track had not been declared wet and returned to the pits after one lap. This constitutes a breach of Art 30.5 l) which only permits the use of intermediate or wet weather tyres after the track has been declared wet by the race director.
“Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.”
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