Charles Leclerc has admitted that his opening-lap battle with Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton at Monza “went too far”, while also revealing that he noticed a possible change in the SF-26’s power delivery between the first and second laps. The Monegasque stressed that Ferrari still needs to analyse the data before drawing any conclusions about the potential technical issue.
The comments came after an extraordinarily difficult start to the Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton attempted to find a way down the inside of Charles Leclerc at the first chicane, but the two team-mates became involved in an aggressive wheel-to-wheel fight as they exited the Variante del Rettifilo.
Charles Leclerc admits Lewis Hamilton battle went ‘too far’
Lewis Hamilton had left room for Charles Leclerc on the way into the chicane, but the situation was reversed only a few metres later. Charles Leclerc did not leave the same amount of space on the outside, sending Lewis Hamilton into the gravel.
The incident dropped Lewis Hamilton from a potential third position to 11th and immediately triggered a frustrated radio message from the seven-time Formula 1 world champion: “Charles pushed me off!”
The moment quickly became one of the major talking points of Ferrari’s race, with Nico Rosberg later placing responsibility for the incident on Charles Leclerc.
Charles Leclerc subsequently acknowledged that the battle had gone beyond what was ideal between the Ferrari drivers.
“Honestly, there were already too many discussions about this topic at Zandvoort. It’s true that we went too far here. I think with Lewis at the first corner and then the second, I tried to take the corner as tightly as possible. But it simply wasn’t enough. And doing that, at this track, is not a good thing.”
Charles Leclerc’s explanation suggests that his intention had been to minimise how much track he used while trying to hold position, but he accepted that the space he left was ultimately insufficient.
Charles Leclerc noticed possible Ferrari power delivery change
The difficult opening lap was only part of Charles Leclerc’s problem. His race ended one lap later when he lost control of the Ferrari at the Parabolica and suffered a heavy accident, bringing an abrupt end to his Italian Grand Prix. The full sequence of the Charles Leclerc Monza crash and chaotic opening laps left Ferrari with plenty to investigate.
Afterwards, Charles Leclerc also hinted that he had noticed something unusual in the behaviour of the SF-26 before the accident, specifically in the way the car was delivering power.
“Between the first and second lap I think there was a difference in the power delivery. We will look into it, but I don’t want to comment too much before checking the data and having 100 per cent confirmation. I cannot change the result, I have to look ahead and I hope to redeem myself in Madrid.”
Charles Leclerc was careful not to establish any connection between the possible power-delivery difference and his accident. Ferrari will first need to examine the data before determining whether there was an actual issue and, if so, exactly what happened.
The comment is nevertheless notable after Charles Leclerc had already discussed Ferrari Power Unit energy-management difficulties during Monza qualifying. Any potential race-related problem will therefore require careful analysis rather than immediate conclusions.
Charles Leclerc turns his attention to Madrid
For Charles Leclerc, the priority is now to move beyond a home Grand Prix that unravelled almost immediately. The clash with Lewis Hamilton, the possible change in power delivery and the subsequent crash combined to produce a painful afternoon in front of Ferrari’s home supporters.
There is no opportunity to change what happened at Monza, as Charles Leclerc himself acknowledged. His focus now shifts to the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, where he hopes to respond to one of the most difficult race weekends of his season.
Leave a Reply