Charles Leclerc endured a disastrous Italian Grand Prix at Monza, with his race lasting just two laps before a violent 234 km/h crash at the Alboreto corner. Telemetry from the accident highlights how the Ferrari driver approached the corner differently while fighting Oscar Piastri, with a more aggressive throttle application as he ran off the normal racing line.
Charles Leclerc’s Monza race ends after just two laps
Charles Leclerc’s Italian Grand Prix lasted barely two laps because of the heavy accident at Alboreto. It was an enormous disappointment for the Monegasque, whose difficult afternoon had already begun at the start with an unnecessarily aggressive move against Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
It was an opening to forget for Ferrari and one that almost compromised the team’s race immediately, with the responsibility for the incident at the start lying with Charles Leclerc.
The second lap brought even more trouble for the Ferrari driver. Charles Leclerc was passed by Max Verstappen at Ascari and then came under intense pressure from Oscar Piastri. The Australian attacked down the inside at Alboreto, while Charles Leclerc attempted to resist around the outside without lifting.
Charles Leclerc then accelerated while putting his wheels onto the green-painted section of the track and lost control of the Ferrari, crashing into the barriers at 234 km/h.
Charles Leclerc crash telemetry shows a different Alboreto approach
The telemetry data from Charles Leclerc’s Monza accident clearly shows the difference in his approach to Alboreto. In the comparison, the white line represents the lap on which the crash occurred, while the red line represents his opening lap.
Because of the battle with Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc entered the corner at a lower speed. He initially opened the throttle early before applying the accelerator much more decisively than he had on the previous lap.
At the point where Charles Leclerc lost control of the SF-26, he was travelling considerably faster than on Lap 1 and was also away from the normal racing line. The combination came as he attempted to remain alongside Oscar Piastri around the outside of Alboreto.
Ferrari left relying on Lewis Hamilton at Monza
Ferrari’s Italian Grand Prix therefore resumed with Lewis Hamilton in eighth place and facing a very difficult recovery drive. The task was made even harder by the Scuderia’s difficulties with straight-line speed, an area that had already been a major focus of Ferrari’s Monza-specific efforts to reduce drag and improve the SF-26’s efficiency.
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