F1 Ferrari: Charles Leclerc Takes a Step Back—A Surprising Admission

Speaking during Media Day held on the eve of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Charles Leclerc revisited what happened at Spa-Francorchamps, specifically the no-holds-barred duel with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in the early stages of the race. The Monegasque driver had been criticized by his Australian colleague, who felt Leclerc deserved at least a “warning,” if not a penalty.

“I partly agree with what Oscar said,” Leclerc remarked. “In the end, I tried to really push myself to the limit, and in those moments, I think I went a little too far. That’s not how I want to race; it’s risky for me, too. In situations like that, you always try to close off every gap, but maybe on that occasion I went too far in doing so.”

The incident occurred on the eighth lap of the Belgian Grand Prix, with contact between Leclerc and Piastri at the end of the Kemmel straight, at the entrance to Les Combes. Race control, however, did not deem it necessary to call in the Ferrari driver, considering the incident a normal racing incident. Piastri, however, had expressed his disappointment regarding this decision after the race.

Now, though, it’s time to focus on the next race at the Hungaroring: Ferrari heads into the race with reasonable ambitions, buoyed by Charles Leclerc’s second-place finish and Lewis Hamilton’s fourth in Belgium: Ahead of them, however, is still Kimi Antonelli in his Mercedes, who—by winning in Belgium—has strengthened his lead in the standings, extending his advantage to +45 over Hamilton, +50 over George Russell, and +78 over Leclerc.