Leclerc, along with Zhou Guanyu and Yuki Tsunoda, had been summoned by the stewards for an “alleged breach of Article 33.4” of the FIA sporting regulations about failing to adhere to a minimum time on a qualifying in-lap, which could potentially be dangerous for oncoming traffic on a hotlap.
Leclerc and Zhou’s offences occurred in Q1, while Tsunoda’s was in Q2.
In Q3 the Monegasque driver went on to take pole by almost three tenths over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, pending any potential sanctions by the stewards.
But the FIA has now cleared Leclerc of any wrongdoing after accepting his explanation for his slow in-lap.
The 2022 championship leader explained that he was not originally on an in-lap, but rather on a cooldown lap to get his tyres ready for another flyer, a regular practice with Pirelli’s new-for-2022 18-inch tyres.
However, Leclerc decided halfway through the lap to come in after all and went out of his way to stay clear of faster cars, hence his slower in-lap.
In their…
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