Shocking incident involving Charles Leclerc at Monza; Nico Rosberg sides with Lewis Hamilton
Charles Leclerc comes under fire after a shocking start to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza: the Monegasque driver made a series of mistakes in the opening laps at the Autodromo. At the start, he was involved in a collision with Lewis Hamilton, who ended up in the gravel and lost positions in the standings; then he ended his race prematurely after losing control of his Ferrari at the Parabolica curve—a mistake that’s sparking debate.
“Honestly, we all like Charles, but unfortunately he made two mistakes in two laps here,” Nico Rosberg told Sky. “In the first one, he should have given his teammate some room. Of course, Lewis entered the first chicane very aggressively—perhaps even a bit too much, given that he’s his teammate. But he didn’t block him at all; he left him room to pass, and everything was under control. Here, the rules state that Charles must leave room and not force his teammate—who is right there—off the track.”
On the incident: “Watching the onboard footage now, I saw the car bounce before the sudden jolt that caused him to lose control of the rear. That’s because he approached the Parabolica on an outside line, which isn’t the usual racing line. It’s possible there are a few more bumps there; the rear started moving vertically, and in that situation, aerodynamics can cause problems severe enough to make you lose control of the car.”
After crashing into the barriers, Leclerc got out of the car on his own and sat dejected at the edge of the track. The Monegasque driver was nevertheless examined at the circuit’s medical center: the impact was very violent, but Leclerc was able to walk on his own and does not appear to have sustained any serious injuries. His exit from the track triggered the deployment of the safety car and the subsequent suspension of the race, with all cars required to restart from a standstill.
