Leclerc wants clarification after exoneration of 'stupid' Magnussen

Charles Leclerc believes that Kevin Magnussen's blocking move in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix warrants a clarification after the stewards adopted a neutral view on the incident.

The Sauber driver was reeling in the Dane on the main straight and on the verge of overtaking the Haas when Magnussen made a late move to the right which subsequently led to a collision between the two cars.

While Leclerc's car emerged relatively unscathed from the run-in, Margnussen suffered a puncture that damaged the Haas' floor, shredded debris and ultimately caused his demise and brought out the Safety Car.

"Magnussen is and will always be stupid. That’s a fact. A shame," quipped the Monegasque over his team's radio immediately after the contact.

• Verstappen at odds with Japanese GP stewards' calls

However, the stewards' deemed that "no driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for the incident", a view that left Leclerc confused.

"For me there was a similar situation with Kimi and Max one or two years ago in Spa," he said.

"Max moved at the really last moment and then everyone agreed that it was dangerous to do that and that it was not allowed anymore.

"Strangely it has been accepted today. I am going to have to get some response on that to try to know what I can do in the car."

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner offered a strong defense of Magnussen's driving, insisting Leclerc had been the one at fault.

"No. He [Leclerc] ran into him. He ran into him," said an adamant Steiner.

"Kevin didn't brake. He didn't push him off or anything, Kevin just moved over to his line and he ran into him.

"It was before the braking point. It was not under braking. What can he do? Just let him by?"

Steiner clearly felt the Sauber driver should bear at least part of the responsibility for the incident.

"He [Leclerc] needs to judge what he can do and what he cannot," he added.

"He [Magnussen] didn't run into the side of him, he was clearly in front because he could move in in front of him."

Once again, Steiner felt Magnussen - whose driving and attitude have often been on the receiving end of his rivals' ire - is an easy target.

"Absolutely. It's more of the same. And I'm getting quite tired of this," Steiner told Motorsport.com.

"If they have a problem with him just blame him for it because it's quite normal."

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