The two made contact at Tamburello, with Lewis Hamilton capitalizing to gain two positions: here’s the verdict from the stewards!
With just two laps to go before the chequered flag, Charles Leclerc decided to let Alexander Albon pass at Turn 1, Tamburello – the very spot where the contact between the two had occurred a few laps earlier.
Albon was on fresh hard tyres, Leclerc on worn tyres over 20 laps old: the overtake should have been straightforward for the Thai driver, yet he struggled more than expected to get past the Ferrari number 16.
The turning point came on lap 60, when Leclerc pushed Albon wide and into the gravel. Right behind them, Lewis Hamilton took full advantage – gaining two positions in less than a lap and setting off in pursuit of Oscar Piastri in P3, taking advantage of his freshly mounted hard tyres.
Leclerc’s decision to give the position back to Albon was clearly a calculated move to avoid regulatory consequences, after forcing the Williams driver off track. The “gesture of fair play” allowed Leclerc to finish in sixth place, avoiding a likely five-second penalty that would have dropped him to ninth.
The FIA investigation remained open, and the outcome only arrived after the race ended.
Leclerc-Albon, FIA verdict
The FIA verdict came shortly after the race: “No further action.” No penalty for the Monegasque, precisely because he had returned the position to Albon. The stewards deemed the incident resolved on track, thus avoiding further sanctions.
This, specifically, was the FIA’s official statement.
Photo: Williams Racing, Scuderia Ferrari HP
