Charles Leclerc of Ferrari driving on the intermediate tires.
Charles Leclerc faced a trip to the stewards regarding an infringement over use of the intermediate tyres at the Canadian GP, with Ferrari hit with a €5000 fine.
The Friday practice in Montreal showcased unpredictable weather conditions, as the FP2 session commenced with a slippery track that made it difficult to distinguish between intermediate and dry tires.
Charles Leclerc and Ferrari went too soon with inters
Leclerc had the inters fitted for his first foray onto the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve of the session, though Ferrari sent him out before the track was declared wet, which is needed to permit the use of wet tyres.
After the session, the stewards called Leclerc to meet with them regarding an unusual violation. As a result, Ferrari was issued a €5000 penalty for breaking the regulations.
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“The report commenced by stating that the stewards had listened to the team representative’s account and examined video evidence.”
Despite the absence of a wet track declaration, Car 16 ventured onto the pit lane at the start of the session with intermediate tyres. However, it swiftly returned to the pits after completing just one lap.
“The usage of intermediate or wet weather tyres is only allowed after the race director has officially declared the track as wet, as stated in Art 30.5 l). Any violation of this rule would be considered a breach.”
Due to the weather conditions, the timings screen for both FP1 and FP2 did not accurately reflect the true performance. However, Ferrari will take encouragement from Carlos Sainz and Leclerc’s presence in the top three during FP1. Furthermore, Leclerc claimed the highest position for Ferrari in FP2, finishing fourth.
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