Leclerc admits he went 'a bit too far' in Piastri battle as driving standards set to be discussed
Photo: Race Pictures
Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Charles Leclerc has admitted he went "too far" in his defence against Oscar Piastri at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver avoided a penalty despite making contact heading into Les Combes, as he squeezed Piastri as he defended the inside line, with bodywork coming off the McLaren car. Leclerc went on to finish second, while Piastri, after batting Leclerc for a podium spot earlier in the race, eventually dropped to fifth.
Leclerc's lack of penalty left Piastri puzzled after the Belgian GP, with the Australian insisting they were "lucky" to not have a bigger crash and that the Ferrari driver should have received a black and white flag at the very minimum.
Photo: Race Pictures
Asked about Piastri's comments, Leclerc told reporters in Budapest: "I kind of agree with Oscar, I think. At the end of the day, my view in the car is that I try to push things to the limit. With Oscar, it was a bit on the other side, so that's probably not the way I want to race all the time.
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"It's also risky for me at the end of the day. You are always trying to leave the smallest space available. That was maybe a bit too far, sketchy."
Leclerc incident to be discussed at drivers meeting
Drivers are to meet with the FIA over the Hungarian Grand Prix where stewarding and driving standards are set to be discussed.
The meeting was already scheduled ahead of the Belgian GP to take place this weekend, but Leclerc's tangle with Piastri is set to be brought up for discussion, as it left some confused as to why the Ferrari driver did not receive any penalty.
Lewis Hamilton's tangle with George Russell, which ended the Mercedes driver's race, is also expected to be discussed. Hamilton received a penalty despite the collision taking place on the opening lap of the race.
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