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• Formula 1

Charles Leclerc was left in fits of laughter while his wife Alexandra looked utterly mortified as their beloved dog Leo chose a rather unfortunate moment to answer the call of nature during a stroll through the Hungarian Grand Prix paddock. Photographers at the Formula 1 event captured the hilarious scene as Leo Leclerc decided to relieve himself against the outside wall of the Red Bull garage.

Snaps show the dog squatting to wee against the wall, directly beneath Max Verstappen's racing number three. Ferrari driver Leclerc saw the funny side, chuckling as he whipped out his own phone to photograph the moment, while his wife Alexandra, who had Leo's lead in hand, appeared utterly stunned and clasped her hand to her mouth.

Unsurprisingly, it wasn't long before the images spread like wildfire across social media. "Pee one for Leo," quipped one amused fan, while many were quick to crown it the standout moment of the weekend, including one X user who wrote: "Leo really stole the spotlight in the paddock today."

Even the official Red Bull account got in on the act. Responding to one post featuring a snap of the deed, the Red Bull account replied: "No Leo, that is so not right" - a nod to Toto Wolff's notorious radio message from the dramatic conclusion of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. They subsequently shared their own image of the scene, with a note pinned to the wall bearing the message: "Leo was here."

It followed the stewards convening in Budapest and concluding that Leclerc ought to have faced a penalty at the previous weekend's Belgian Grand Prix. He was briefly examined for making contact with Oscar Piastri early in the Spa-Francorchamps race, but they opted to take no further action against the Monegasque driver.

Leclerc, who completed the race in second place, appeared uncomfortable afterwards as he viewed a replay of the incident in the cool down room while awaiting the podium ceremony, and subsequently conceded that he had escaped punishment. He said: "At the end of the day, my view in the car is that I try to push the things to the limit.

"I think with Oscar it was a bit on the other side, so that's probably not the way I want to race all the time. It's also risky for me at the end of the day. You're always trying to leave the smallest place available. That was maybe a bit too sketchy."

A discussion took place in Budapest before this weekend's racing, the first of two planned for this year where drivers meet with stewards to examine the application of regulations and propose possible amendments to the standards guidelines.

During that discussion, it is understood the stewards acknowledged that Leclerc should have received a penalty for his part in that specific collision.