FIA issues verdict on Charles Leclerc's post-practice summon in the F1 Las Vegas GP

Charles Leclerc will face no further investigation after being summoned by the stewards following his incident involving the marshals at the end of the Las Vegas GP FP2. The Ferrari driver had allegedly failed to stay within FIA regulations and did not leave his car in a safe condition for the marshals.

An otherwise positive day for Charles Leclerc on Thursday ended on a sour note as the driver had to park his Ferrari on the side of the road in the final stages of the Las Vegas GP FP2 after he complained about his gear shifts. Leclerc then turned his car off, but turned it back on to help put it in neutral for the marshals to maneuver.

This incident led to Leclerc being summoned to the stewards, who alleged that the 28-year-old may have breached Article 26.5 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations by not replacing the steering wheel and turning off the ERS.

But after meeting with Charles Leclerc, the stewards have deemed that he will face no further action, as he simply attempted to assist the marshals by turning his SF-25 back on again to put it in neutral.

Leclerc told the stewards that he first tried to select neutral but failed, so he shut the car down and exited. The marshals were also unable to put it in neutral.

The driver then tried to help by restarting the car, but they initially stopped him, thinking it was unsafe. He later assured them it was safe and powered it off again.

Leclerc was already confident that nothing would come from his meeting with the stewards, as he claimed the whole situation was simply a 'misunderstanding'. He also explained that he did indeed put the steering wheel back on after exiting the car.

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Charles Leclerc reflects on a positive practice day at the Las Vegas GP

Charles Leclerc during practice - Las Vegas Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Charles Leclerc claimed that Ferrari was 'not in a bad place' after the first two practice sessions at the Las Vegas GP on Thursday. The Monegasque also explained that he expects all the top teams to be competitive come Friday's qualifying.

Speaking to the media after FP2, Leclerc expanded on a positive day for the Italian team.

"I think, honestly, we are not in a bad place, but we need to wait and see. I think the Mercedes is very strong and McLaren and Red Bull are also in the fight, so I think it’s going to be tight," said Leclerc [via PlanetF1]. "I just hope we can build from now and be in the fight for pole tomorrow, but it’s been a positive Friday (Thursday)," he added.

Leclerc finished the FP1 session as the quickest driver, and backed it up in FP2 by finishing third. His teammate Lewis Hamilton was also looking at one with the car at certain points on the streets of Sin City, but ended FP1 in 11th and FP2 in 10th. The 7x world champion has some more work to do overnight.

Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar