Charles Leclerc has not been handed a penalty after an incident in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix resulted in him being summoned by the stewards. The Monegasque was under investigation for allegedly driving unnecessarily slowly on an inlap in the session, but it has now been confirmed that no further action will be taken. After hearing from Leclerc and a Ferrari representative, as well as reviewing timing evidence, the stewards decided that the driver had "acted reasonably under the circumstances."
Leclerc will retain pole position for the Australian GP
A document confirming the outcome reads: "Leclerc started a lap that was intended to be a cool down lap, not an in lap, which would not be subject to the minimum time restriction of the regulation. "Part way through the lap, the decision was made to come in. During the lap there was heavy traffic and Leclerc took effort to ensure that he did not impede other drivers on push laps. "These efforts significantly slowed his lap time. As a result, the minimum time was breached. "The Stewards accept the driver’s rationale for his actions; find that he acted reasonably under the circumstances; and, therefore, take no further action." This means that Leclerc will retain his pole position, and will start Sunday's race alongside Max Verstappen on the front row of the grid. Meanwhile, like Leclerc, Zhou Guanyu was investigated by the stewards for allegedly driving unnecessarily slowly on an inlap, but has also been given a verdict of no further action being necessary. Yuki Tsunoda did not receive this outcome, though. The AlphaTauri driver has been handed a reprimand for the same offence, marking his third such punishment of the season.
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