Charles Leclerc's hopes of a third Monza victory in front of the Tifosi collapsed almost as soon as they began, with the Ferrari driver crashing out of the Italian Grand Prix just two laps in. His SF-26 speared into the barriers at Parabolica, leaving Ferrari's home weekend in ruins before it had truly started.

A rocky opening turns into disaster

The afternoon soured from the very first corner, when Leclerc and teammate Lewis Hamilton clashed for position at the opening chicane. Hamilton was shoved wide and slid down to eighth. Leclerc later dismissed suggestions of tension between the two Ferrari drivers, saying he wasn't sure "who is forcing that narrative that we are one against the other," and noting there had already been too much chatter over team radio. He did admit the battle had gone too far, crediting Hamilton with winning the first corner before he tried to hold the tightest possible line at Turn 2 — a move he acknowledged simply wasn't appropriate in that spot.

Two laps later, while defending fourth from McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Leclerc's Ferrari snapped out of line at the exit of Parabolica with no contact from another car. The rear stepped out, launching him across the gravel and into the outer barriers at speed, forcing a red flag so repairs could be made.

Leclerc climbed out unassisted and was checked by medical staff as a precaution. He said his neck was fine but admitted his right eye's vision was briefly impaired after the impact — the thing that worried him most getting out of the car.

Searching for a cause

Leclerc wouldn't commit to an explanation, saying the car had felt fine under power before he sensed a shift in power delivery between laps one and two, and that he wanted to check the data before drawing conclusions. Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur was seen conferring with the race engineer afterward, reportedly examining whether a torque spike was to blame.

Adding to the mystery, Leclerc's car appeared to run close to a drainage grate near the outside kerb — a known trouble spot at Monza. Sky Sports pundit Nico Rosberg pointed out that Piastri's onboard footage showed his own car bouncing over bumps in the same area just before Leclerc lost control, suggesting the track surface itself might share the blame.

Looking ahead

Leclerc admitted the small sample size made it hard to draw firm conclusions, but said he'd undergo further checks before turning his attention to the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, calling the result frustrating but something he must simply move past.

Source: Motorsport Week