MONZA, Italy — Charles Leclerc’s hopes of a third Italian Grand Prix victory came to a dramatic end Sunday after a huge crash on the second lap of the race at Monza.Leclerc spun off the circuit at the high-speed Parabolica corner, losing control of his Ferrari through the right-hand turn. It caused him to spear off into the gravel before slamming the tire barrier.The 28-year-old, who won Ferrari’s home race in 2019 and 2024, got out of the car unaided, having quickly exited his cockpit before being taken to a safe spot on the side of the track, where he sat down and was spoken to by trackside staff.He was taken to the medical center as a precaution and Ferrari confirmed shortly before the race resumed that he had been released and was OK.The incident had led to the race being initially neutralized behind the Safety Car before then being suspended altogether with a red flag to allow the barriers to be repaired. After completing repairs, the race resumed after a 30-minute stoppage.
The incident was reminiscent of a similar crash for Leclerc at Monza in 2020, when he went off at high speed at the same point of the circuit, also resulting in a red flag.Leclerc was battling with Oscar Piastri for fourth place at the time of the accident. He’d run as high as second earlier in the lap before being overtaken by Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen.
