Ferrari: Charles Leclerc insisted on staying out before Kimi Antonelli crash: the inside story. Ferrari endured a disastrous Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Disastrous. This is probably the most accurate word to describe Ferrari’s Dutch Grand Prix, the race that marked their return to action after almost a month of summer break. Disastrous was the final outcome, but just as disappointing was the way that result unfolded. At Zandvoort, the Scuderia struggled from the opening laps of free practice, realizing immediately that the SF-25 would not be at ease on this circuit due to the difficulties both drivers experienced right from FP1. These issues were linked to the car’s behavior and driveability, continuing a long-standing tradition of Ferrari being uncomfortable among the dunes north of Amsterdam, where the Prancing Horse has never really been a contender for the leading positions. This trend was confirmed in qualifying, where Ferrari ended up as the fifth force, not only behind McLaren and Red Bull, but also behind VCARB and Mercedes. It was a negative result, highlighting once again the lack of visible progress from the car which, despite the introduction of a new rear suspension, has so far failed to meet expectations of being the second-strongest team on the grid.

Everything went wrong in the race
It was a setback in qualifying and, effectively, also in the race, which according to team principal Frédéric Vasseur was due to the team’s less than optimal preparation for the weekend. He explained that it had been a difficult weekend, with a very poor Friday followed by a good recovery. The Frenchman stressed that Ferrari must start better on Fridays, without always having to fight back from behind. That recovery was evident in the opening laps of the race, where both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc showed promising pace, with Leclerc even fighting for a podium position. However, that rhythm was ruined by a series of unfortunate episodes that hit the team hard. Hamilton was forced to retire after a crash caused by his own mistake, and that incident in turn compromised Leclerc’s race. The Monegasque lost positions due to the Safety Car that came out to remove his teammate’s car, giving rivals a free pit stop. It was a heavy blow, one to which the number 16 driver tried to respond until his second stop, after which he too was forced to retire.

The behind-the-scenes detail
After his second pit stop, Leclerc returned to the track on cold tyres and was forced to retire when he was hit, through no fault of his own, by Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes at Turn 3 in a desperate overtaking attempt from the young Italian. That incident inevitably ended Leclerc’s race and left him bitterly disappointed. But there was more to the story, as the crash happened just moments after Ferrari had called Leclerc into the pits for a stop he had opposed over the radio. This curious behind-the-scenes detail emerged from both the radio exchanges between Leclerc and his pit wall in the moments immediately before the stop and from his own words right after being eliminated from the race.

Leclerc had insisted over the radio: “Let’s stay out, let’s try.”
His race engineer Bryan Bozzi responded: “Box, Charles.”
Leclerc came back out on track only to be struck by Antonelli’s Mercedes. Right after retiring, the Ferrari driver opened his radio channel once again.

Leclerc said: “I don’t think it was necessary. I know we can’t predict what will happen, but the tyres were still good.”