Leclerc Escapes Penalty After Spa Collision with Piastri

During the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa‑Francorchamps, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri made contact on lap eight while fighting for third place. Leclerc’s Ferrari brushed the right‑front tyre of Piastri’s McLaren as the latter tried to overtake on the outside of Les Combes, causing damage to the McLaren chassis.

The FIA stewards reviewed video and on‑board footage and concluded that Leclerc did not deliberately push Piastri off the track. Their report stated that car 16 (Leclerc) moved slightly left to open the corner and the side‑by‑side contact was unavoidable. Consequently, no penalty or time sanction was imposed, allowing Leclerc to continue without time loss. Piastri publicly expressed disappointment, suggesting a warning flag should have been shown, but the officials maintained their original decision.