British Grand Prix 2016: Nico Rosberg cleared by stewards and will not face penalty after qualifying investigation
Rosberg has been accused of driving 'unnecessarily slowly' on his way back to the pits
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Your support makes all the difference.Nico Rosberg will not receive a penalty ahead of the British Grand Prix on Sunday after the Formula 1 championship leader was summoned to the race stewards for an alleged breach of the qualifying regulations, just an hour after losing out on pole position to rival Lewis Hamilton.
Rosberg was under investigation for driving “unnecessarily slowly” on his way back to the pits during Saturday’s qualifying session, with the 31-year-old German summoned along with a Mercedes team representative to explain themselves.
If found guilty, Rosberg could have faced a demotion on the grid for Sunday’s race and receive a second reprimand in as many race weekends, having been blamed for the collision with Mercedes teammate Hamilton on the final lap of the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend that saw him drop from first to fourth.
However, it was oon confirmed that the race stewards, which this weekend includes four-time British Grand prix winner Nigel Mansell, that Rosberg had no case to answer as he was not on an in-lap, with the regulation on applying to slow down laps where drivers enter the pits.
An FIA statement issued after qualifying said that Rosberg was to answer a charge of "exceeding the maximum time set by the FIA between the safety car line after the pit exit and safety car line before the pit entry at 13.05".
Article 27.5, the regulation in question, states: "At no time may a car be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person.
"This will apply whether any such car is being driven on the track, the pit entry or the pitlane.
"In order to ensure that cars are not driven unnecessarily slowly on in laps during and after the end of qualifying, or during reconnaissance laps when the pit exit is opened for the race, drivers must stay below the maximum time set by the FIA between the safety car line after the pit exit and safety car line before the pit entry.
"The maximum time will be determined by the race director at each event after the first day of practice, but may be amended later in the event if deemed necessary.
"The time will normally be based upon 145% of the best dry P1 or P2 time."
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