Are Leclerc’s crashes becoming a problem for Ferrari? F1 Q&A

Charles Leclerc’s crash at Monza reignited questions about whether Ferrari’s driver is developing a habit of throwing away races. But the record offers a more measured picture than the criticism suggests.

Leclerc had a difficult Sunday. On the opening lap, he was arguably too aggressive with Lewis Hamilton at the first chicane, forcing his teammate onto the gravel and dropping him to 10th. One lap later, Leclerc crashed at Parabolica after Max Verstappen had passed him. The incident appeared linked to Leclerc running slightly wide while defending against McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, although Leclerc rejected that explanation.

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I wouldn’t say that this is the issue. From lap one to lap two, I had a bit of a difference in power delivery. We’ll look into it, but I don’t want to comment too much before checking the data and confirming it 100%.

“I wouldn’t say that this is the issue,” Leclerc said. “From lap one to lap two, I had a bit of a difference in power delivery. We’ll look into it, but I don’t want to comment too much before checking the data and confirming it 100%.”

Leclerc has crashed out twice this season, with the previous incident coming at a restart in Monaco. The previous example before that, unless another has been missed, was his retirement with car damage after an incident-filled race at Zandvoort in 2023. Hamilton, by comparison, has done the same four times since then, in Brazil and the Netherlands last year, Austin in 2024 and Qatar in 2023.

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Far too late for those decisions to come.

Ferrari nevertheless has wider problems to settle. Hamilton has been unhappy with the team’s decision to maintain driver equality despite his slim title hopes, and said after losing more points to Antonelli at Monza that the decisions had come “far too late.” The clash also followed Hamilton’s call for the drivers to work together against Mercedes.

Leclerc said Ferrari had gone too far at the first corner but rejected the idea that he and Hamilton were competing against each other. Hamilton responded that he had been ahead at Turn Two and insisted, “I don’t race dirty. I’ve always raced clean and fairly and always left space.” Team principal Frederic Vasseur planned to speak with both drivers before discussing the matter publicly.

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I don’t race dirty. I’ve always raced clean and fairly and always left space.