<p>-
- Kimi Antonelli says sorry to Ferrari for Charles Leclerc crash at Dutch Grand Prix</p>
<p>JAMES ELLINGWORTH September 1, 2025 at 3:07 AM</p>
<p>1 / 3APTOPIX Netherlands F1 GP Auto RacingFerrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco sits after a crash during the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Netherlands, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)</p>
<p>ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) — Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur welcomed Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli coming to him to apologize for a crash which sent Ferrari's Charles Leclerc spinning into the wall at Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix.</p>
<p>Leclerc came out from a pit stop ahead of Antonelli, who tried to pass Leclerc on the inside of a tight banked corner but clipped his rear wheel and sent the Ferrari into the barrier.</p>
<p>Leclerc had been in contention for a podium place earlier but instead watched the end of the race from a sand dune trackside.</p>
<p>"He came to apologize to Charles. Charles was not there, but he came to me. And honestly I appreciate this," Vasseur said.</p>
<p>"It's not so easy to overtake in Zandvoort. It means that you have to take a risk. He took a risk. He made a mistake."</p>
<p>Leclerc said he believed the incident was an honest mistake on a track where overtaking is difficult, and refused to chalk it up to Antonelli's inexperience.</p>
<p>"I wouldn't describe it as a rookie mistake. I think it's just a mistake which can happen in the first year or the fifth year," Leclerc said. "On a track like this you need to be aggressive (to overtake), but that was too much."</p>
<p>Leclerc hit the wall in almost the same spot as his teammate Lewis Hamilton had crashed out earlier in the race, sliding wide on a track which had become slippery during a rain shower. It was the first time neither Ferrari driver scored points since their double disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix in March.</p>
<p>What had been a promising race for the out-of-form Antonelli ended with the Italian finishing outside of the points for the seventh time in nine Grands Prix. That was because of a 10-second penalty for colliding with Leclerc and another five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.</p>
<p>"I was feeling good in the car and just a shame to have missed out," the 19-year-old Italian driver said. "For the contact, obviously it's on me. I tried to avoid it, especially when I saw he was coming back in front, but it was not enough. So obviously I feel sorry to Charles and to the team and now we move forward."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing</p>
<a href="https://data852.click/5a32cd58501e613bf372/ee0a75caf0/?placementName=default" class="dirlink-1">Original Article on Source</a>
Source: "AOL Sports"
Source: AsherMag
Full Article on Source: Astro Blog
#LALifestyle #USCelebrities