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BREAKING: Stewards take decision on Verstappen-Leclerc Austrian GP incident
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen will not be stripped of his victory at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, as the stewards have opted his race-winning overtake on Charles Leclerc was aggressive but legal.
The two young stars collided on track as Verstappen took the lead for Red Bull at the team’s home race, with Leclerc being forced off the track after the two drivers banged wheels at turn three.
Not investigated until after the race, Verstappen was given the victory and it will remain so, with the stewards not opting to give the Dutchman a penalty for the incident.
The final verdict came almost three hours after the Grand Prix finished, with fake documents misleading many fans.
How it happened
Verstappen was charging at Leclerc in the final stages of the race, edging ever closer to his fellow 21-year-old until he was in range to launch an attack.
The first move, which came in lap 68 of the 71, was defended well by Leclerc, as the two drivers left each other space and Leclerc kept his SF90 in front, but the next lap, there was contact.
The quicker Verstappen sent his RB15 down the inside at turn three and got his nose ahead of Leclerc’s, before the two banged wheels and the Ferrari went off track. Verstappen took the lead and took the victory as well, but the FIA immediately communicated the issue would be investigated.
With the two drivers being summoned to the stewards at 6pm local time (5pm BST, 12pm EST), the stewards have opted to not take any further action regarding the incident, leaving Leclerc in second place and Verstappen as the winner. This means Leclerc will have to wait a bit longer for his maiden F1 win.