Leclerc apologizes to Antonelli: “I don’t mean what I said. The race? If we start from the front we can win”

Leclerc, apologies to Antonelli “Kimi is really bad at wheel-to-wheel duels. He moved when braking, it’s incredible, we’ll end up colliding”: Charles Leclerc’s frustration towards Kimi Antonelli emerged in the first laps of the Miami Sprint and naturally attracted attention throughout Italy, being probably the two most supported drivers. It is known, however, that Leclerc is as smoky in the race as he is honest and rational in front of the microphones. Before analyzing his Sprint, which ended in third place, he wanted to apologize to Antonelli for a comment that he said didn’t deserve. Leclerc’s words “I would like to apologize for the comments I made about Kimi at the start of the race, which were a bit aggressive”, these were his words to Sky Sport F1. “I don’t mean what I said, the battles we’ve had are always a little more aggressive than I’d like, and if there’s one rider I don’t want to have them with, it’s the only Italian on the grid, so I hope it can go better in the future. I’m sorry to have said this.” After resisting Antonelli’s attacks, Leclerc tried to attack Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, but the difference in power unit level did not allow him to go beyond third place: “At the same time it was a difficult race. We start a little behind each time and this is our engine, we have to work on qualifying. If we start in front, I’m sure we can win races. Especially on such a hot track, every time we are behind it is difficult.”

Automobile Magazine – F1 English News
2026-05-03 03:41:00