Vasseur (Ferrari) Thanks Antonelli’s Apology After Crash at Dutch GP

Antonelli Apologizes to Ferrari After Accident at the Dutch Grand Prix

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur received apologies from Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli after an incident at the Dutch Grand Prix that caused Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc to crash into the wall. The accident occurred when Leclerc, after a pit stop, was overtaken by Antonelli, who tried to pass him on a tight corner, but collided with his rear wheel, sending the Ferrari into the barrier.

He came to apologize to Charles. Charles wasn’t there, but he came to me. And honestly, I appreciate it.

Fred Vasseur

Vasseur highlighted the difficulty of overtaking at Zandvoort and acknowledged the risk taken by Antonelli, attributing the incident to an error.

Leclerc, for his part, downplayed the incident, considering it an honest mistake on a challenging track for overtaking. The Ferrari driver also mentioned that the error can occur regardless of experience.

I wouldn’t describe it as a rookie mistake. I think it’s just a mistake that can happen in the first or fifth year. On a track like this, you need to be aggressive [to overtake], but that was too much.

Charles Leclerc

Leclerc’s accident occurred at a similar point to that of his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who also went off the track due to the slippery conditions caused by the rain. This situation marked the first time that neither of the Ferrari drivers scored points since their double disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix in March. Additionally, Ferrari faced more setbacks. Hamilton received a five-place grid penalty for next week’s race at Monza, the team’s home Grand Prix, for not slowing down enough under yellow flags during the formation lap. Leclerc, on the other hand, avoided a penalty for a collision with George Russell, deemed a racing incident by the stewards. For Antonelli, the race, which promised, ended outside the points for the seventh time in nine grands prix. This was due to a 10-second penalty for the crash with Leclerc and another five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

I felt good in the car and it’s a shame to have missed out.

Kimi Antonelli

The 19-year-old Italian driver added that he took responsibility for the contact with Leclerc and regretted the incident to the team.