Charles Leclerc was "a bit harsh" on Kimi Antonelli in Miami sprint, but hopes he "calms down"

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images attach

Motorsport photo

Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc says he was "a bit harsh" with his heated criticism of Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli during Miami's sprint race, but does hope the Italian "calms down a little bit" as he races wheel to wheel.

Leclerc and Antonelli battled in the opening stages of Saturday's 19-lap sprint races, with Antonelli's poor getaway dropping him from second to fourth behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Leclerc, attempting to reclaim third in a protracted battle with the Monegasque driver.

Leclerc wasn't particularly impressed with Antonelli's driving, however, as he fended off the Italian teenager to secure third behind winner Lando Norris and Piastri.

"Kimi is so bad on wheel to wheel," Leclerc said at the time. "He moved under braking, it's unbelievable. We're going to crash."

Leclerc and Antonelli came to blows twice over the course of Antonelli's 2025 rookie season, with the Mercedes youngster taking Leclerc out at the Dutch Grand Prix, and also playing a part in a three-car collision with Leclerc and Piastri in Brazil.

"I was being a bit harsh maybe, with the adrenaline inside the car," Leclerc said. "It's true that we've had our moments with Kimi in the past and I hope this calms down a little bit going ahead. Especially [because] he's the only Italian driver on the grid against Ferrari, I wish it was with someone else. And I really like Kimi also as a person.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes​

You must be registered for see images attach

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

"It's just sometimes a little bit too close for comfort and not really needed as well. In this particular case I was quite angry in the car but the comments were probably a bit too harsh."

Antonelli finished fourth but was eventually handed a post-race five-second penalty for repeated track limits offences, dropping him to sixth. Speaking to Sky, Antonelli admitted he was frustrated by his botched start, which was beyond his control, and made too many errors.

Read Also:

You must be registered for see images attach

F1 Miami GP: Lando Norris wins sprint in McLaren 1-2
"We've been doing work over the break [on race starts] and on my side for once I did everything right with the procedures, so we need to check what happened," Antonelli reported. "The grip was very low, probably lower than we expected.

"After that I was really frustrated, I didn't even drive well, I made a lot of mistakes. I got track limits which is something that I need to avoid."

Photos from Miami GP - Saturday​

Lando Norris, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lando Norris, McLaren

James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team​

You must be registered for see images attach

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lando Norris, McLaren

Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

Aston Martin F1 Team Garage​

You must be registered for see images attach

Aston Martin F1 Team Garage

Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lando Norris, McLaren

Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari​

You must be registered for see images attach

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

Franco Colapinto, Alpine​

You must be registered for see images attach

Franco Colapinto, Alpine

Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing, Flavio Briatore, Alpine​

You must be registered for see images attach

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing, Flavio Briatore, Alpine

CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP via Getty Images

Zak Brown, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Zak Brown, McLaren

Sona Maleterova / Getty Images

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls​

You must be registered for see images attach

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

Sona Maleterova / Getty Images

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing​

You must be registered for see images attach

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Sona Maleterova / Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lando Norris, McLaren

Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing​

You must be registered for see images attach

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, George Russell, Mercedes​

You must be registered for see images attach

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, George Russell, Mercedes

Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lando Norris, McLaren

James Sutton / Formula 1 / Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team​

You must be registered for see images attach

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes​

You must be registered for see images attach

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing​

You must be registered for see images attach

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes​

You must be registered for see images attach

George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

Nico Hülkenberg, Audi F1 Team​

You must be registered for see images attach

Nico Hülkenberg, Audi F1 Team

Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lando Norris, McLaren

Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

Nico Hülkenberg, Audi F1 Team​

You must be registered for see images attach

Nico Hülkenberg, Audi F1 Team

Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lando Norris, McLaren

Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lando Norris, McLaren

Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Lando Norris, McLaren

Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren​

You must be registered for see images attach

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Ryan Pierse / Getty Images

Read Also:

You must be registered for see images attach

Kimi Antonelli not at fault for poor F1 Miami GP sprint race start - Toto Wolff
To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Continue reading...