Leclerc out in Brazil after Lap 6 tangle with Antonelli and Piastri as Ferrari suffers double DNF
Charles Leclerc’s Brazilian Grand Prix lasted six laps and ended with a ripped front-left and a furious debrief. The Ferrari driver was eliminated after a scuffle between Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri sent the Mercedes skittering sideways into Leclerc’s SF-75, wrecking what had looked like an early podium run at Interlagos.
The flashpoint came as Piastri tried to slide up the inside of Antonelli, only to lock up and make contact with the Mercedes. Antonelli’s car snapped into Leclerc, plucking the Ferrari’s front-left tyre clean off the rim and forcing the Monegasque to park up at the end of the back straight. Lap 6, race over.
“I’m collateral damage of an incident between Oscar and Kimi where, in my opinion, Kimi was as much to blame as Oscar,” Leclerc said afterwards. “For me it’s 50:50: Oscar being optimistic, Kimi doing the corner like Oscar was never there. They collided and touched me. Very frustrating considering we’re fighting for second in the Constructors’ and we’re the only ones not finishing today.”
The stewards didn’t quite see it Leclerc’s way. Piastri was handed a 10-second time penalty during the race and two penalty points, with officials citing the well-worn guideline for inside overtakes: the attacking car must have its front axle at least alongside the outside car’s mirror and must be “fully controlled.” While Piastri did get alongside initially, he was dropping back by the time of contact and pinched the brakes into the left-hander — enough, in the stewards’ view, to put the Australian at fault.
Leclerc’s frustration was compounded by the bigger picture. Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari was already out with early floor damage, sealing a brutal double retirement for the team on a day when their direct rivals all found points. With three races and one sprint still to run, it’s the kind of Sunday that can swing a title fight. Ferrari left São Paulo empty-handed — and with some bruised egos to match the bodywork.
As for Antonelli, the rookie’s afternoon didn’t need the help. He was pursuing a straightforward line when Piastri arrived on the scene, and while Leclerc argued the Mercedes driver “did the corner like Oscar was never there,” the stewards’ decision suggests the onus was more on the McLaren to make the move cleanly or bail out earlier.
The Interlagos stewards have set a firm line this season on inside lunges that arrive late and out of control. Piastri’s move wasn’t outrageous — it was opportunistic — but his fading overlap and ensuing lock-up tipped it into the wrong column.
Leclerc’s exit stung for more than just the points lost. Ferrari had pace to challenge. He’d qualified and started with the kind of sharpness that usually turns into a podium in São Paulo. Instead, he was left watching replays on the big screens from the run-off, piecing together how a fight between orange and silver took out the red car that wasn’t even involved — until it very much was.
There will be debate, as there always is when three cars converge and the slow-motion looks uglier than real-time. Leclerc split the blame; the FIA put it on Piastri; Mercedes will argue Antonelli was entitled to the corner. None of that changes Ferrari’s zero from zero.
Next up is damage limitation — and a reset. Ferrari can’t afford another Sunday like this one. Not with the Constructors’ fight tightening and opportunities dwindling. Interlagos was a missed chance, and Leclerc knew it the moment the tyre left the rim.
