Charles Leclerc’s heavy crash brings tears from Ferrari fans and an early red flag at the Italian Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc dominated the opening moments of the Italian Grand Prix, but his race ended on the second lap at the Parabolica. The Ferrari driver lost control in a sudden oversteer and struck the outer barriers at high speed.

Leclerc had started well and was running third before defending fourth place against McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. He could not recover the spin through the fast right-hand corner and hit the barriers side-on. He escaped the car on his own, but appeared visibly affected. After sitting in the shade of a tree and touching his head several times, he stood up about 10 minutes later and returned to the pits.

The crash followed an early dispute with Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton. At the opening chicane, Hamilton accused Leclerc of pushing him off the track. The seven-time Formula One champion lifted off to avoid going onto the grass and dropped several positions, falling to eighth.

Leclerc’s disappointment was visible in the grandstands as well. Television images showed several children crying after the home team’s driver spun out. Race control initially sent out the Safety Car, then brought out the red flag so officials could repair the damaged barriers.

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Pushing me.