Charles Leclerc had dreamed of repeating his memorable Ferrari victories at Monza in 2019 and 2024, but his 2026 Italian Grand Prix instead turned into a complete disaster. In less than two laps, the Monegasque forced team-mate Lewis Hamilton into the gravel, lost several positions and then suffered a heavy crash at the Parabolica that brought his home race to an abrupt end.
Starting with the final and most dramatic moment, Charles Leclerc lost control of his SF-26 without contact at the end of the second lap while fighting Oscar Piastri. The Ferrari driver’s previous 2024 victory at Monza had produced one of the great celebrations of his career, but there would be no repeat for the Tifosi this time.
Charles Leclerc suffers heavy Monza crash at the Parabolica
The number 16 Ferrari snapped from side to side after running onto the green-painted surface just beyond the white line before slamming heavily into the outside barriers at the Parabolica. The SF-26 suffered extensive damage in the impact.
Fortunately, Charles Leclerc was able to climb out of the car without assistance, although he did so slowly and appeared visibly shaken by the accident. He subsequently sat for several minutes at the marshals’ post, remaining alert but clearly affected by what had just happened.
The crash brought out the red flag and ended Charles Leclerc’s Italian Grand Prix after barely two completed laps.
Leclerc forces Lewis Hamilton into the gravel at the start
Even before the crash, Charles Leclerc had already been involved in several damaging moments during a chaotic opening to the race.
At the start, the Ferrari driver battled team-mate Lewis Hamilton through the first chicane. During the frantic fight for position, Charles Leclerc forced the seven-time Formula 1 world champion into the gravel, prompting an angry reaction from Hamilton over team radio.
The intra-team incident immediately complicated Ferrari’s race at a time when both cars had started from the second row with hopes of challenging the leaders.
Ferrari pace suddenly drops before Leclerc crash
Charles Leclerc then lost two further positions in quick succession, first to Pierre Gasly and then to Max Verstappen. The nature of those overtakes suggested that his sudden loss of performance could potentially have been connected to an issue with electrical battery management on the SF-26.
That possibility was particularly significant at Monza, where the performance and deployment of the 2026 hybrid systems play an important role along the long straights. However, the exact cause of Charles Leclerc’s sudden pace loss had not been established during those opening laps.
It capped an extraordinary sequence of events for a driver whose Ferrari career has already featured numerous dramatic highs and lows.
Parabolica crash recalls Charles Leclerc’s 2020 Italian GP accident
The accident also carried an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. Charles Leclerc suffered a similar crash at the same circuit during the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, six years earlier, when his Ferrari also went into the barriers at the Parabolica.
As on that occasion, the most important point was that Charles Leclerc was able to get out of the car. There will nevertheless be plenty for Ferrari to analyse after so many problems unfolded within just a few kilometres of racing.
For Charles Leclerc and the thousands of Ferrari supporters at Monza hoping to celebrate another special home victory, it was certainly not the Sunday they had imagined.
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