Kimi Antonelli admits fault after Charles Leclerc crash at Zandvoort: “Next time I’ll think twice”. Andrea Kimi Antonelli takes responsibility for his collision with Charles Leclerc.

F1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli takes responsibility for his collision with Charles Leclerc at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has accepted responsibility for the collision with Charles Leclerc at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. The incident involving the Ferrari number 16 ruined the race for both drivers, coming just as the young Italian was mounting a strong recovery after yet another challenging qualifying session.

This is not an easy moment for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. For a rookie, a full Formula 1 season often brings highs and lows in rapid succession. The crash at Zandvoort represents one of the more difficult moments of his debut year in the F1 World Championship.

The young Bolognese driver was involved in an incident at the Zandvoort banking while fighting wheel-to-wheel with Charles Leclerc. Antonelli had pitted one lap before the Ferrari driver to attempt an undercut, with Leclerc following the next lap. When the Ferrari returned to the track, the two found themselves in the following scenario: Charles ahead with worn and cold Soft tires, and Antonelli right behind with fresh Softs already at optimal temperature.

Using the superior grip from his new Soft tires, Antonelli tried to attack the Ferrari. Charles Leclerc chose the outside line while Antonelli went for the inside. Unfortunately, a miscalculation of the chosen trajectory led to contact. The outcome was a retirement for Charles Leclerc and a 10-second penalty for Kimi Antonelli.

“I just watched the incident again and it’s really a shame because our pace was good. We were climbing back into the top positions. I knew this was probably the best opportunity to overtake Charles Leclerc, and I had to attempt the maneuver because I was very close to him and he had colder tires than mine. I just tried to pass, but it was a bit too much. When I saw him moving back to the outside in front of me, I tried to give him space, but it wasn’t enough,” the Bolognese driver explained after the Dutch Grand Prix.

“I attempted the overtake because it’s really difficult to pass here. The more laps you do in dirty air, the more you damage your tires and pace. I tried, but it was too much. I feel truly sorry for him. Next time, I will probably think twice before attempting an overtake, unless I am 100% certain it can be done safely.”

Antonelli went on to explain why he chose the inside line over the outside and admitted the misjudgment that caused the contact with Ferrari number 16.

“Of course, the outside line on the banking is faster, but to attempt a pass, you can initially take a lower, inside trajectory to cover fewer meters. Obviously, I wasn’t close enough on the inside to make the move. If I had been, I probably could have overtaken him, but that wasn’t the case.”

Kimi Antonelli’s race was further affected by another mistake: exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane during his tire change. Another note in his rookie learning process to avoid repeating the same error.

“Even the pit lane mistake, where I exceeded the limit, is something I must ensure doesn’t happen again. Then I was unlucky with the final Safety Car; otherwise, I think I could have still finished sixth or seventh.”