Explained: Why Charles Leclerc was not penalised by the FIA for the overtake on George Russell

The FIA did not penalize Charles Leclerc for the alleged collision with George Russell during the recently concluded Dutch GP. According to the statement released by the governing body, both drivers stated that it was a racing incident, and as a result, no action was taken.

Leclerc and Russell were involved in a collision during the race. Even though none of the drivers faced any significant damage to their cars, the stewards took cognizance of the incident and took it under review. However, after going through the telemetry data and other available information, the FIA refrained from penalizing the Ferrari star.

Sharing their explanation, they released a statement. Here's what they stated:

"We investigated, with the benefit of the driving standards guidelines, whether either driver should have done something different. We also looked into whether Car 16 remained on the track or left the track at Turn 12.

The available evidence was inconclusive as to whether Car 16 left the track. Both team representatives were in agreement that there was no clear evidence that Car 16 had left the track. Both drivers felt that this was a racing incident and that there should be no further consequence to either driver for the incident. We reviewed all the available evidence and arrived at the same conclusion. We accordingly took no further action."

Oscar Piastri claimed the victory ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar. However, Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton faced DNFs in the race after they faced crashes and reliability issues.

George Russell finished in P4, ahead of Williams' Alex Albon, Haas' Oliver Bearman, and Aston Martin's Lance Stroll. Stroll's teammate, Fernando Alonso, Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda, and Haas' Esteban Ocon wrapped up the top 10.

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Charles Leclerc shared his thoughts after Dutch GP collision with George Russell

Following the conclusion of the race, Charles Leclerc shared his thoughts about his on-track incident with George Russell. Speaking about this, here's what the Ferrari driver told Sky Sports F1 in the post-race interview:

George Russell leads Charles at Dutch GP - Source: Getty

"It was an aggressive [action]," Leclerc admits. "But we're fighting for championship position—especially in the Constructors' Championship—I don't care much about [the drivers' standings]. So I'll always be this aggressive."

"I was on the limit, but I knew I wouldn't get many more chances after that. He was defending the inside, I was going for the outside. I don't think he expected me to go for the outside. Then he drove into the corner as if I wasn't there, so that's when we made contact," he further added.

Charles Leclerc is in P5 in the Driver's Standings with 151 points after 15 races and three Sprints. George Russell, on the other hand, is in P4 with 184 points.