The official statement regarding the penalty imposed on Charles Leclerc during the Shootout qualifying in Austria identifies a “lack of communication” on the team radio as the main cause of the impeding incident. Let’s analyze the FIA’s announcement and the communications between the Monegasque driver and the Ferrari pit wall.
The Federation’s official statement points to the insufficient communication with the pit wall as the primary cause of Charles Leclerc’s impeding. The document includes statements from the drivers and their representatives, so let’s examine those concerning the Monegasque.
“The driver of car #16,” as stated in the FIA document, “declared that the last warning received from the team occurred while approaching Turn 4. [Charles Leclerc also stated that] he saw car #81 in his mirrors while in Turn 8 and Piastri in Turn 7.”
The onboard footage is evidence of this. Xavi Marcos informs Charles Leclerc that he will have two attempts on soft tires and explains, “Behind Piastri, there’s a 6-second gap, and then there’s a 15-gap behind him.” This communication takes place precisely as the Ferrari is preparing for the braking zone of Turn 4. After that, there is silence until the belated team radio message at Turn 9.
“The representative of Charles Leclerc’s team stated that the pit wall ‘could have done better’ in communicating Piastri’s rapid approach. Charles Leclerc said, ‘If I had been warned, I could have done something earlier,'” reads the statement.
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Finally, the Monegasque driver’s race engineer informs him about the approaching McLaren only when Charles Leclerc is almost entering the pit lane: “Box now, box. And watch out for traffic with Piastri, keep pushing!” However, at this point, it is too late, and the impeding incident has already occurred.
