Charles Leclerc Breaks Down His Heartbreaking Monza Exit and the ‘Way Too Close’ Clash With Hamilton

• Charles Leclerc crashed out of the Italian Grand Prix at the Parabolica on lap two after starting from third on the grid.
• Leclerc said his first-lap battle with team mate Lewis Hamilton was “way too close” for two cars on the same team.
• Leclerc was unharmed in the crash, which triggered an early red flag at his home race.

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A Home Race That Ended in the Barriers

Charles Leclerc’s Italian Grand Prix ended almost before it had begun, the Ferrari driver crashing out at the Parabolica on lap two after starting from third on the grid.

Leclerc has now explained what happened in the moments before the crash, and given his own account of the tense wheel to wheel battle with team mate Lewis Hamilton that came before it.

“Way Too Close” Into Turn One

Starting third and fourth on the grid, Leclerc ahead of Hamilton, the two Ferraris went side by side into the second corner as the race got underway. Hamilton then had to take to the gravel and dropped backwards, suggesting over the radio that he had been pushed off.

Speaking to the media afterward, Leclerc shared his thoughts on the fight with his team mate and conceded it is “never what you want” to see between drivers on the same team.

“With Lewis it was a way too close into Turn 1 and unfortunately in Turn 2, I don’t know if we had contact or whatsoever,” he explained. “I was quite a lot on the inside curve and tried to make the corner, which I didn’t do it tight enough, and then I obviously only saw in the mirrors what happened which is never what you want between two cars, between two cars of the same team.”

Explaining the Crash

Leclerc’s charge did not last long once the race resumed. The 28 year old ran off the track at the Parabolica and into the barriers on lap two, putting him out to the disappointment of the Tifosi watching on. He was unharmed in the incident.

Reflecting on his exit from the race, Leclerc added: “Then for the crash itself, I went on throttle, on the first lap it felt kind of weird, I had to go back off and on throttle. On that second lap, I tried to do the same thing but, I don’t know, it just felt a little bit weird, so we’ll look into it.”

A Difficult Afternoon for Ferrari

Leclerc’s early exit left Ferrari without either of its drivers in contention at its own home race. Hamilton recovered from his own trip through the gravel to finish sixth, a result he later called “a bit devastating.” The Scuderia’s home weekend ended with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell locking out the podium places for Mercedes instead.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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