Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson applauded Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc for his close wheel-to-wheel racing against Mercedes’ George Russell in the Dutch Grand Prix and later jumped to the defence of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
“LeClerc [sic]. Holy s**t. That’s proper racing,” Clarkson wrote on X after the Monegasque driver had an intense battle with Russell, which ended with damage to the Mercedes W16.
On the 33rd lap of the race at Zandvoort, as the virtual safety car was coming to an end, Leclerc went around the outside of the British driver at Turn 11 to get the inside line at Turn 12. As he squeezed by, the pair had contact. Russell attempted to take the position back, but the Ferrari driver held the position.
The incident was investigated by the stewards after the race, who determined that no further action was required.
Later on in the race, Leclerc found himself in another incident, which marked the end of his race. On lap 53, the Ferrari driver was hit by rookie Antonelli as he attempted to pass Leclerc at the banked Turn 3.
The Italian driver dived down the inside but understeered into the side of Leclerc, sending him into a spin against the wall. The stewards imposed a 10-second penalty on Antonelli, and he was later handed a five-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
Antonelli came under a lot of fire for the crash, with 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve questioning if F1 was too much for the 19-year-old. But Clarkson came to the driver’s defence, posting: “Antonelli is a teenager.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images
“I just saw it and it’s a shame because the pace was good, we were coming back in front. I knew that was probably the best chance I had to make the move because I was very close to him, he had a colder tyre,” the Mercedes driver explained.
“I just tried to move but it was a bit too much. When I saw he was coming back in front, I tried to let it go but it was not enough.”
He added: “I went for it because it’s so difficult to overtake. The more laps you do in dirty air, the more it hurts your tyre and your pace. I went for it and it was a bit too much.
“Now I’m just re-looking at it. I just tried at some point to let it go but it was not enough. Obviously I feel sorry to him. Next time I’ll probably think twice before making the move. Unless I’m 100% sure I’m going to stick it.”
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