Charles Leclerc Blames Kimi Antonelli for Dutch GP Collision

Why it matters:

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was forced to retire from the Dutch Grand Prix after a collision with Mercedes' rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, costing both drivers points.

The details:

• The incident occurred on Lap 53 at Turn 3 when Antonelli, on fresher soft tyres, made an aggressive move on the inside, clipping Leclerc's rear-left.
• Leclerc's Ferrari SF-25 spun into the barrier, ending his race.
• Antonelli, who had struggled to overtake Leclerc on older hard tyres, pitted a lap earlier for softs. Ferrari reacted by pitting Leclerc, leading to their immediate rejoining and subsequent crash.
• Antonelli received a 10-second penalty for the collision and an additional five seconds for speeding in the pitlane, finishing outside the points.

Leclerc's perspective:

• Leclerc stated Antonelli was "too aggressive" but called it a general racing mistake, not exclusive to rookies.
• He supported Ferrari's strategy to pit in response to Antonelli, acknowledging the threat of fresher tyres. "I don't think the strategy is the big talking point today. I think it's just Kimi's mistake," Leclerc said.

Antonelli's tough start:

• This incident adds to a challenging rookie season for Antonelli, marked by crashes in Monaco and Austria, despite a sprint pole in Miami and a Canada podium.
• He also had a poor qualifying session at Zandvoort, which he attributed to an FP1 off.

Mercedes' view:

• Mercedes boss Toto Wolff defended Antonelli, calling it an "unfortunate" outcome due to fine margins. "Half a metre would have been enough," Wolff noted.