F1 News
FIA confirms investigation into Leclerc: "Was very clear for us".
- GPblog.com
Charles Leclerc's hard crash at the end of the qualifying session prevented several drivers from trying to improve the Monegasque's time. Max Verstappen, in particular, was disappointed because he was just about to improve his time.
Investigation by the FIA
Because Leclerc's crash also had major consequences for other drivers, the FIA opened an investigation into the crash to see if there was any foul play. According to race director Michael Masi, after a thorough investigation it has been determined that there was no intentional crash.
"The incident was immediately looked at by race control and it was very clear to us that a mistake had been made before turn 15," Masi explained to, among others Formule1.nl. "After looking at the data and listening to the communication within the team, I don't think a driver would damage his car to that extent with the consequences that can have."
Leclerc was allowed to keep his pole position, but it wouldn't matter in the end. Problems with a connecting element between the rear axle and the left rear wheel hub meant Leclerc's chances of winning the race were dashed even before the start. He did not start in his home race.