Andrea Kimi Antonelli gets his comeuppance after his collision with Charles Leclerc in Zandvoort, while the Ferrari driver retracts his accusation about strategy
Charles Leclerc had a bitter afternoon at the Dutch Grand Prix. After a strong first stint, solid pace, and the prospect of important points, the Ferrari driver found himself in the Zandvoort barrier after a collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
“I think it was Kimi’s mistake,” Leclerc clarifies. “On a track like this, you have to be very aggressive to overtake. But in this case, it was just too much. He touched my left rear wheel, and that was the end of my race. It’s disappointing.”
The incident occurred at turn three with its notorious steep banking, where different lines are possible—but overtaking maneuvers always pose a risk. Antonelli saw a gap on the inside, dived in, and touched Leclerc’s Ferrari. The result: a retirement for the Monegasque and a 10-second penalty for the young Italian.
“Not a rookie mistake” – Leclerc’s nuanced view
Leclerc refrains from labeling Antonelli’s action as a classic beginner’s or rookie maneuver. “I wouldn’t call it a rookie mistake. Something like this can happen to you in your first year or in your fifth. It’s just a mistake that can happen to any driver,” he emphasizes. At the same time, his disappointment remains palpable: “Strategy wasn’t the big issue today. We lost everything because of this collision.”
Shortly after the incident, however, things sounded different. Antonelli put Leclerc under pressure with an undercut, to which Ferrari reacted. After the contact with the Mercedes, Leclerc radioed the Ferrari pit to question the second tire change. The older hard tires were still good and the second stop may have been unnecessary.
When asked about his mood during the race, Leclerc explained: “The tires didn’t actually feel bad. But Kimi had very strong grip on the outlap, and the team decided to bring me in to protect the position. In the end, it didn’t matter because the race was over with the collision.“
Antonelli: ”I was too optimistic“
Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli also appeared contrite after the race: ”It’s a shame because the pace was good, we were moving forward. I knew this was probably my best chance because he was on colder tires. I tried it—but it was too much,“ admitted the Italian.
He was aware of the risk: ”It’s so hard to overtake. The longer you drive in dirty air, the more your tires and pace suffer. I wanted to go for it, but I wasn’t close enough. If I’d had half a car length more, it might have worked.“
The Italian takes responsibility: ”I feel bad for Charles. Next time, I’ll probably think twice before trying something like that—unless I’m 100 percent sure it will work.”
Vasseur defends strategy and responds to crash
Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur was asked after the race not only about the collision, but also about the pit stop decision. Leclerc himself had expressed doubts over the radio as to whether a tire change under the safety car was necessary. “Yes and no,” explains Vasseur.
“It’s always easy to have a different perspective after the race. To be honest, that was our only chance to attack Hadjar – either with an undercut or at least with another option. I think it was the right decision at the time. Now, after the crash, it looks different, of course.”
On pure pace, he says: “When you’re driving behind, everything overheats. That’s why we told Charles to leave some space. But I had the feeling that we could more or less keep up with Max. The better comparison was Mercedes – we were able to overtake them.”
Vasseur is calm about the Antonelli incident: “Kimi came to me after the race, as Charles was no longer there, and apologized. I give him credit for that. He took a risk, made a mistake, and admitted it. For me, it was a racing incident. The penalty is up to the stewards.”
Experts divided: mistake, racing incident, or over-motivated?
While Ferrari sees the matter as relatively relaxed, the TV experts were much more critical. Ralf Schumacher analyzed on Sky: “Actually, it was over-motivated by Kimi. If he looks in the mirror and leaves half a meter of space, both of them will get through the corner. But this was just too much.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff defends Antonelli somewhat: “Of course, half a meter would have been enough. But you see that gap at the top of the banking, you dive in—and then the car understeers. He has to try, that’s clear. The outcome was unfortunate, but it’s part of racing.”
Jacques Villeneuve is much harsher in his assessment: “That was weak. You see maneuvers like that in Formula 4 or 3, but not in Formula 1. Everyone makes mistakes, of course, but this wasn’t even a classic case of overconfidence. It was simply poorly calculated. He shouldn’t have done that.”
Damage control impossible – Antonelli with damaged car
Antonelli finished the race, but with considerable damage and two time penalties. “The entire right side of the underbody was damaged, as was the wing above the tire. The car vibrated heavily and the steering wheel was crooked. Nevertheless, I tried to get through,” he explains. Without the crash, the Italian believes a top-7 finish would have been possible. “With the penalty, the damage, and the safety car phase, that was no longer possible.”
Vasseur remains focused on the future: “We had the pace, which was important. Charles was strong, and without the accident, we could have achieved a very good result. But that’s part of racing.”
