F1 News: Charles Leclerc Receives Grid Penalty For Austrian GP Sprint Race

The Monegasque faces yet more bad luck.

Charles Leclerc, the talented Ferrari driver who is gunning for his first race win this season, finds himself under yet more scrutiny following an incident during Saturday's qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring. As the session unfolded, Leclerc was summoned by the stewards to discuss a possible impeding offense that affected the flying lap of Oscar Piastri. It's now been confirmed that he will receive a 3-place grid penalty for today's sprint race of the Austrian Grand Prix. 

As Leclerc made his way into the pits, the nature of the Red Bull Ring circuit forced him to slow down. Unfortunately, this resulted in Leclerc directly impeding the McLaren driver's progress just a few corners before the end of his flying lap. 

In response, Piastri promptly contacted his team over the radio, expressing his frustration by stating that he was "massively impeded by the Ferrari." Consequently, race control announced their decision to investigate the incident.

Both Leclerc and Piastri were summoned to meet with the stewards at 1:30 PM local time, aiming to shed light on the incident and determine whether Leclerc violated Article 37.5 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations. This regulation aims to ensure fair play and prevent unnecessary interference during qualifying sessions.

Leclerc now faces a three-place grid penalty, which would significantly impact his starting position for the sprint race, potentially dropping him to P9. Such a consequence will present a significant challenge for the Ferrari driver, as he would need to battle his way up the grid in pursuit of a strong result.

In addition to Leclerc's case, Haas, the American F1 team, also faced a summons from the stewards due to an alleged unsafe release of Nico Hulkenberg. Witnesses observed Hulkenberg driving over a removed tyre, causing the car to launch itself into the air. The stewards scheduled a meeting with Haas at 1:50 PM to address this issue.