Leclerc Blames Antonelli's 'Mistake' for Dutch GP DNF, Downplays Strategy Concerns

Charles Leclerc's Dutch Grand Prix weekend ended prematurely due to a collision, overshadowing Ferrari's mixed performance leading up to race day. Leclerc firmly attributed his retirement to Andrea Kimi Antonelli's error, rather than the team's strategy decisions.

Why it matters

Ferrari's weekend in Zandvoort was complicated from the outset, with a series of unfortunate events culminating in Leclerc's DNF. This incident not only cost Ferrari valuable points but also left unanswered questions about their potential race pace, which Leclerc believes was nullified by an external factor.

The incident

• Hamilton's early exit: The race saw an early retirement for Lewis Hamilton, who crashed at Turn 3 after losing control.
• Leclerc's pit stop: Around 30 laps later, Ferrari pitted Leclerc to cover off Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was threatening an undercut.
• The collision: Emerging from the pits, Leclerc found Antonelli's Mercedes snapping at his heels. At Turn 3, Antonelli made contact, clipping and puncturing Leclerc's rear left tire. This sent Leclerc into the outer barriers, where his SF-25 suffered significant damage to its front wing assembly, ending his race.

Leclerc's perspective

Speaking to media, including GPblog, Leclerc was direct in his assessment, downplaying any strategic debate.

"Well, I mean, the tyres weren't too bad. However, I think judging the outlap of Kimi [it] was probably very strong," Leclerc stated. "And so I think the team decided to pit me because they thought that he would probably get past us again."

He continued, "So at the end, I was frustrated for what had just happened, but I don't think the strategy is the big talking point today. I think it's just Kimi's mistake that threw out every effort we had in the bin."

What's next

Leclerc acknowledged that the collision means Ferrari will never truly know the outcome of their strategic choices or their ultimate performance potential in the Dutch GP. "Only by finishing the race we will have known whether it was a good choice or not. We didn't because of the crash with Kimi so it's a bit difficult to know," he concluded.