Charles Leclerc did not mince words in describing the incident that ended his Brazil Grand Prix after only a few laps. According to the Monegasque, it is true that Oscar Piastri was optimistic in his inside attack, but Kimi Antonelli could have avoided the collision by not closing the racing line as if no other cars were present.
A race cut short
Charles Leclerc’s Grand Prix lasted less than ten laps. His goal had been to fight for a podium and secure crucial points for Ferrari in the battle for second in the Constructors’ Championship. However, his race ended prematurely when he was caught in a chain collision involving Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri, becoming the sole retiree despite having left ample space.
It was paradoxical because the Monegasque had stayed wide in turn 1 to avoid contact at the restart, yet he was the only one to pay the price, retiring due to a broken left front suspension. The incident, which divided opinions due to its dynamics, occurred immediately after the Safety Car was withdrawn following Gabriel Bortoleto’s off-track excursion, when Oscar Piastri attempted an inside move on Kimi Antonelli in turn 1, resulting in contact.
How the collision happened
Piastri, braking late, had positioned his car approximately level with Antonelli’s mirror before the apex, following overtaking guidelines. However, near the apex, he locked up trying to avoid Antonelli, who was simultaneously closing the inside line. At that point, contact between the two was inevitable.
The stewards assigned a ten-second penalty to Oscar Piastri, considering him fully responsible. Documents show that the decisive factor was Piastri not being fully alongside Antonelli at the apex: because of the braking, he could not maintain mirror-to-mirror alignment and therefore lost his right to the racing line according to FIA guidelines.
Leclerc’s perspective
Not everyone agreed with the stewards’ decision. After the race, Leclerc shared his own view, emphasizing that Antonelli bore part of the responsibility. According to the Ferrari driver, Kimi could have left more space inside by moving slightly to the right, especially since Leclerc had adopted a cautious approach, keeping margin to avoid contact.
“I am very angry. In these incidents, I have nothing to learn on my side, I did nothing wrong. I would do it again twenty times, but unfortunately the mistake came from the inside,” Charles Leclerc explained to Sky Sports F1, stressing that he bore no responsibility for the contact and that it was entirely caused by the driver on the inside.
“I am not angry with either of them. It happens. My view is that Oscar was a bit optimistic, but Kimi had space. It was an unnecessary collision. He drove the corner as if Oscar wasn’t there. Yes, Oscar was optimistic, but Kimi could have done more to avoid it.”
It was a missed opportunity for Charles Leclerc, who had been aiming for a podium to deliver valuable points to Ferrari in the fight against Mercedes, who had appeared in strong form throughout the weekend, in the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
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