Max Verstappen retains Austrian Grand Prix victory after Charles Leclerc clash deemed a 'racing incident'

Controversial win: Max Verstappen's duel with Charles Leclerc was not punished by race stewards
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George Flood30 June 2019

Max Verstappen has retained his victory at the Austrian Grand Prix after the FIA confirmed that the result would not be changed.

The Red Bull driver overtook Charles Leclerc with two laps remaining of a pulsating race in Spielberg, but his controversial winning move came under investigation.

At the right-handed Turn 3 on lap 69 of 71 at the Red Bull ring, Verstappen and his Ferrari counterpart banged wheels on the exit, with Leclerc falling off the circuit and feeling that Verstappen did not leave him enough room.

"It is hard racing, otherwise we have to stay at home," Verstappen said afterwards.

"If those things are not allowed in racing, then what is the point in being in Formula One?"

Three hours after Verstappen crossed the line in first, the FIA confirmed that stewards would be taking no action.

"In the totality of the circumstances, we did not consider that either driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for the incident," the ruling read.

"We consider that this is a racing incident."

Earlier, Leclerc said: "I will let the stewards decide. I was on the outside of the corner the lap before.

"He left the space, but he didn't on the next lap. I had to go wide and didn't have a chance to come back at him."

Ferrari can appeal the decision, which comes just three weeks after they failed to overturn the penalty that led to Sebastian Vettel being denied victory at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

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