dailyloe.com – During the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, Charles Leclerc expressed concerns about Kimi Antonelli’s driving. Leclerc stated he was ‘a bit harsh’ with his criticism of the Mercedes driver. He hopes Antonelli ‘calms down a little bit’ in future races.
Leclerc and Antonelli’s battle occurred early in the 19-lap sprint, where Antonelli dropped from second to fourth after a poor start. Leclerc was engaged in a struggle for third place, eventually securing it behind Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Leclerc was critical of Antonelli’s performance, expressing, ‘Kimi is so bad on wheel to wheel.’ He added that Antonelli’s actions could lead to an accident, saying, ‘He moved under braking, it’s unbelievable. We’re going to crash.’
The two drivers have a history, having collided twice during Antonelli’s rookie season in 2025. Antonelli was involved in incidents at the Dutch Grand Prix and Brazil, where he took out Leclerc and contributed to a three-car collision.
Reflecting on his remarks, Leclerc acknowledged, ‘I was being a bit harsh maybe, with the adrenaline inside the car.’ He expressed a desire for calmer racing in the future, noting the significance of Antonelli as the only Italian driver on the grid against Ferrari.
Leclerc clarified his feelings for Antonelli, stating, ‘I really like Kimi also as a person.’ He mentioned that their racing interactions can sometimes be ‘a little bit too close for comfort and not really needed.’
After the race, Antonelli finished fourth but received a five-second penalty for repeated track limits violations, which dropped him to sixth. He later shared his frustration about his start, which he felt was beyond his control.
