Leclerc was not penalized for a wrong test start at Spa
General
- GPblog.com
Lewis Hamilton was given a five-second time penalty twice during the Russian Grand Prix for incorrect test starts, prior to the race. Now it turns out that Charles Leclerc had a similar offence at Spa but was not punished for it.
Leclerc drove a reconnaissance lap during the Grand Prix of Belgium but that lap he drove too slow. The Monegasque got the message that the stewards were going to watch his slow lap. Ferrari talked to the stewards and the team said his lap was so slow because he had made a test start. The statement was satisfactory and Leclerc received no penalty. However, it now appears that Leclerc didn't do the test start in the right place, according to The Race and Motorlat, among others.
Behind the Saftey Car 2 line
Leclerc made the test start past the so-called Safety Car 2 line, while the drivers have to stay in front of this line to make a practice start. Although it was not allowed, the Monegasque was not penalized while Hamilton was.
Didn't the stewards notice this at the time or were the rules tightened? In any case, it seems that there are inconsistencies. According to TheRace, Leclerc was not punished because it was only a few meters past the line where Hamilton was further away. Although you would think that it shouldn't matter how far you drive across the line.