Charles Leclerc has admitted that he went too far at Turn 2 during his first-lap battle with Lewis Hamilton at Monza, confirming that the two Ferrari drivers have since spoken and cleared the air. Ahead of the Madrid Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc also said he is feeling well after undergoing several checks following his heavy Parabolica crash, while insisting the incident with Lewis Hamilton has not damaged their relationship.
The Monegasque appeared in good shape in Madrid after the frightening accident at the end of the Italian Grand Prix. “I had a lot of checks, but everything is fine now,” Charles Leclerc explained. With the physical concerns easing and the Monza disagreement with Lewis Hamilton having been discussed privately, Ferrari’s number 16 is eager to get back behind the wheel and leave a difficult home weekend behind him.
The opening-lap fight with Lewis Hamilton, which ended with the British driver in the gravel and compromised his race, was followed later by Charles Leclerc’s heavy accident at Parabolica. Neither episode is something the Ferrari driver wants to dwell on as Formula 1 moves on to Madrid.
Charles Leclerc admits Turn 2 mistake and explains Lewis Hamilton talks
Charles Leclerc was first asked how he was feeling physically and about the debate surrounding Ferrari’s rules of engagement following Monza. Lewis Hamilton had suggested after the Italian Grand Prix that the team might need clearer guidelines between its drivers, a subject the seven-time world champion has also addressed ahead of the Madrid weekend.
“I feel good, thank you. As for the rules of engagement, I think it’s quite clear that we never want to see a car from the same team on the grass. So yes, I mean, after reviewing what happened, we spoke about it with Lewis.”
Charles Leclerc then accepted responsibility for his part in the incident at the second corner.
“Obviously I know I went too far at Turn 2 and I told Lewis that, and I think it’s very clear what we should do or avoid in the future. But I won’t go into many more details beyond what we said to each other. The only thing I can say is that it absolutely hasn’t affected the good relationship we have and it won’t influence anything in the future. And that’s the most important thing for me.”
Charles Leclerc also acknowledged that the setting made the incident much more sensitive. Any confrontation between two Ferrari drivers is likely to attract attention, but at Monza that scrutiny is magnified by the importance of the Italian Grand Prix to the team and its supporters.
“Of course, I know we race for Ferrari and if there is one race where you would never want something like that to happen, it is Monza, and when these things happen at our home race, it creates a huge amount of chaos outside. However, looking at the race, there was also a bit of tension between other teammates and we end up talking only about me and Lewis, which doesn’t seem fair to me.”
Charles Leclerc expects qualifying to be crucial at Madrid
Attention then turned to the new Madring circuit, where Charles Leclerc already has some limited experience after Ferrari completed a filming day at the venue. That early running has given the Scuderia a small amount of previous experience at the new Madrid circuit, although Charles Leclerc stressed how restricted that running actually was.
“Well, obviously I did a few laps behind a road car and I think two laps in a Formula 1 car, but with cameras everywhere and with a lot of dust on the track. But it seemed like a very demanding circuit and I think it’s exactly the type of circuit I like as a driver, although I think there will be very few overtaking opportunities in the race, while qualifying will be very interesting and challenging for everyone.”
Asked about Fernando Alonso’s view that qualifying would be particularly important, Charles Leclerc agreed that Ferrari’s weekend priorities will shift towards extracting maximum performance over one lap.
“Certainly, it’s a weekend where you focus more on qualifying than race pace, because on Sunday, apart from the start, it will be difficult to gain positions. So our priority will be to maximise free practice to make sure we arrive in Q3 with the right car and with a good lap. The priority will shift a little more towards qualifying. The race will be interesting from a strategic point of view, but with slightly less overtaking than at other tracks.”
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari made expected ADUO2 step but remains behind
Charles Leclerc was also asked whether he had expected more from Ferrari’s ADUO2 Power Unit after its introduction at Monza. Expectations surrounding the upgrade had been considerable because of the importance of engine performance at the Italian circuit, with Ferrari’s latest Power Unit development becoming one of the major technical topics of the weekend.
“No, although it’s normal to hope to make a step forward. We found ourselves in a delicate situation because when you fit a new engine at Monza, everyone expects a sudden and significant leap forward. However, we went from Zandvoort, a track that was not heavily influenced by the Power Unit, to Monza, where it matters a lot. We made a step forward, the one we expected, but we are still behind.”
The comments provide further context to Ferrari’s decision not to use Charles Leclerc’s Monza ADUO2 in Madrid, with the unit being kept out of the car while further checks are completed following the Parabolica accident.
Charles Leclerc refuses to reopen Turn 1 debate with Lewis Hamilton
Although Charles Leclerc accepted responsibility for what happened at Turn 2, he was also asked about the braking phase into Turn 1. On that point, the Ferrari driver deliberately chose not to continue the public discussion.
“I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to create a continuous back-and-forth with Lewis. I think the most important thing is that we cleared up the situation: I told Lewis how I felt, and he told me how he felt. We came to an agreement, talking about it with hindsight and without the emotion of the race.”
“It can happen, and I’m sure it won’t even be the last time, because these things happen in racing, especially when you start so close together, but it definitely isn’t a situation we would want to find ourselves in again.”
Charles Leclerc confirms checks were clear after Parabolica crash
Finally, Charles Leclerc provided more detail about his physical condition after the Parabolica accident. Despite initially feeling unwell after climbing out of the Ferrari, he explained that the sensation was primarily the result of the shock of the impact.
“Yes, I had quite a few things done, but the accident perhaps looked bigger from outside than it felt from inside the car, even though when I got out of the cockpit I didn’t feel very well. In reality, it was just the shock.”
Charles Leclerc said the main physical consequence in the days immediately afterwards was discomfort around his neck.
“During the first two days I had several checks and quite a lot of treatment, especially for my neck because it felt a little stiff, but now I’m fine and all the checks I had were okay.”
There had also been concern over the brief vision problem Charles Leclerc experienced after getting out of the car. Asked whether he had ever feared that the issue could prevent him from competing in Spain, he dismissed that possibility.
“No, not at that level. On Monday I felt that sensation of tension again and probably a bit of pain in my neck, but as far as the vision problem is concerned, it lasted for a very short time.”
With his medical checks clear, his conversation with Lewis Hamilton completed and the Monza weekend now behind him, Charles Leclerc turns his attention to a Madrid Grand Prix where qualifying is expected to play a particularly important role. The immediate objective for Ferrari is to maximise every practice lap and arrive at the decisive Saturday session with the car in the best possible window.
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