Why Charles Leclerc was seen with a mobile phone after his crash with Antonelli and Zandvoort retirement. Charles Leclerc retired from the Dutch GP after contact with Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

F1 | Mystery after Charles Leclerc’s Dutch GP retirement: the truth behind the mobile phone

The Dutch Grand Prix turned into a nightmare for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari, marked by disappointment on track but also by a strange post-race curiosity. The Monegasque driver, who had narrowly missed out on the second row in qualifying by just one tenth of a second, lined up on Sunday with an aggressive strategy aimed at fighting for the podium. However, his hopes were shattered by a series of unfortunate events that left him out of the race earlier than expected.

At the first pit stop, Ferrari’s plan of executing an undercut was ruined by the crash of his teammate Lewis Hamilton. The incident neutralised the race at the very moment the strategy was supposed to deliver results. Later, while Charles Leclerc was fighting to climb back to third position, the real turning point arrived. A collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli sent him off track and forced him into an early retirement.

Why did Charles Leclerc have a mobile phone after the Kimi Antonelli crash?

After the accident that ended his Dutch GP, Charles Leclerc was spotted sitting on a grassy bank at the side of the track, in an image that quickly went viral across social media. Many fans were left wondering how the Ferrari driver had managed to pull out a phone, with photos showing him scrolling as he tried to move on from the disappointment of the crash.

Some fans joked that the Monegasque driver had taken his smartphone with him in the car, a theory that generated plenty of online memes and speculation. The reality, however, was much simpler. The device was not his at all – it actually belonged to his personal photographer, Anthoine. He handed the phone to Charles Leclerc after the incident, giving the Ferrari driver something to take his mind off the frustrating end to his race.

For Charles Leclerc, the Zandvoort weekend ended in deep frustration. From missing out on a crucial qualifying position by a fraction, to a compromised pit stop, and finally the decisive contact with Mercedes junior Antonelli, every detail went against the Ferrari driver. The lasting image of him sitting on the hillside with a phone in his hand will remain a symbol of a Sunday – and perhaps even a season – that has been extremely difficult for both Leclerc and the Scuderia.