Leclerc crash halts Italian Grand Prix as Ferrari driver cleared after check

MONZA, Italy : The Italian Grand Prix was red-flagged on Sunday after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed heavily at Parabolica at the end of the second lap, with the race later restarted after a delay.

Ferrari said Leclerc was unharmed after he was taken to the Monza medical centre for checks. The Monegasque driver climbed out of the wrecked car and sat behind the barriers shortly after the incident.

The crash brought out the safety car before red flags were deployed on lap four. Racing was delayed for about 30 minutes while the tyre barrier was rebuilt, with Mercedes’ George Russell leading the field for the restart.

Leclerc had started third alongside Ferrari team mate Lewis Hamilton, who began fourth. Hamilton attempted to pass Leclerc’s position around the inside at the first corner but was forced wide onto the gravel, dropping to 11th.

“Charles pushed me off,” Hamilton said over team radio, with the incident noted by the stewards.

Leclerc was running fourth when he came under pressure from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Television replays showed the Ferrari suffered wheelspin, touched the white line at the edge of the circuit and veered off at speed at the end of the second lap.

The first restart was aborted after Racing Bulls’ stand-in driver Yuki Tsunoda was incorrectly positioned on the grid.