Charles Leclerc avoided a penalty for a clash with Oscar Piastri during the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix after the stewards judged the Ferrari driver didn’t deliberately instigate the contact.

On lap eight of the Spa‑Francorchamps race, Leclerc and Piastri were battling for third place down the Kemmel Straight and into Les Combes. Under braking for the corner, Leclerc defended his position forcing the McLaren driver to go around the outside, with the gap subsequently closing and causing a glancing blow, with Piastri suffering car damage. Over the team radio, Piastri blamed Leclerc for the clash, having been forced into avoiding action for what he feared was going to be a “massive crash”, and the incident was duly investigated by the stewards.

After a review of the video and in‑car footage, the stewards opted for no further action, having felt Piastri had “no possibility” of completing the overtake from his position on the outside of Leclerc and that the Ferrari driver didn’t deliberately push his rival off the track as he was on the racing line. Leclerc was able to continue and profited from a timely virtual safety car to cycle into the lead. But Kimi Antonelli’s superior pace saw him reel in the Monegasque and overtake him for the win, with the Ferrari driver having to settle for second place.