Charles Leclerc ‘fine’ after 50G Monza crash as he explains loss of control

Charles Leclerc has reassured Ferrari fans that he is fine after a heavy 50G crash brought his Italian Grand Prix to an early end at Monza. The Ferrari driver admitted he was still “a little shaken” and had briefly experienced an issue with his eye after the impact, but stressed that his condition was now the most important thing.

The Monegasque also offered an initial explanation for how he lost control of the car, describing an intermittent response after going back on the throttle before the Ferrari suddenly snapped away from him. Charles Leclerc said he would need to study the data before drawing firmer conclusions about exactly what happened.

Charles Leclerc suffers neck discomfort after 50G Monza crash

Charles Leclerc’s Monza race ended prematurely when he hit the barriers at the exit of the Parabolica shortly before completing the second lap of the Italian Grand Prix.

His difficult race had already begun at the start. Charles Leclerc defended aggressively against Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton, forcing the seven-time world champion into the gravel at the exit of the first chicane. The opening-lap battle between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton immediately complicated Ferrari’s race before the situation became significantly worse on Lap 2.

According to the available data, the impact registered 50G. Charles Leclerc later spoke to Sky about his physical condition and the sequence that preceded the accident.

Charles Leclerc explains what he felt before losing the Ferrari

“I’m still a little shaken, but I don’t have much pain,” Charles Leclerc said. “I only had a bit of trouble with my eye immediately after the accident. Now everything is fine and that’s the most important thing.”

Asked about the dynamics of the crash, the Ferrari driver explained that something had not felt completely consistent when he returned to the accelerator.

“What happened? I went on the throttle, I was lacking a little power, I had a slightly intermittent response and I lost the car after a snap. I need to look at the data.”

The comments leave Charles Leclerc waiting for a closer examination of the data before reaching a definitive conclusion about the cause of the snap. For Ferrari, however, his retirement brought a sudden end to one half of its home Grand Prix challenge after fewer than two completed laps.