Charles Leclerc Takes Full Blame for Late Miami GP Spin: "It's Not Acceptable"

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has taken full responsibility for a costly late-race spin at the Miami Grand Prix, an error that stripped him of a podium finish.

The Monegasque driver had just conceded third position to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and was attempting an immediate counter-attack when he lost control of his car. While Leclerc managed to avoid a catastrophic impact, he clipped the wall, sustaining damage that allowed both George Russell and Max Verstappen to slip past.

"It's All on Me"

Speaking to the media following the race, Leclerc did not shy away from his mistake, offering a blunt assessment of the incident and the resulting damage to his Ferrari.

"The damage was significant. To tell you exactly what was the damage, I'm not so sure," Leclerc explained. "I'm pretty sure there was a puncture, there was probably some suspension damage as well, as I couldn't really turn to the right anymore. So yeah, I'm very disappointed with myself. It's all on me and it's a mistake."

The Ferrari driver pointed to the complexities of energy deployment on the final lap as a potential factor, though he refused to use it to deflect blame.

"I obviously need to look because with these cars, you always have the question mark of how much it deploys and considering it was the last lap, maybe there was a bit more out of that corner as you just need to finish the lap with that amount of energy," he noted. "But that's not an excuse in any way. It's all on me and it's not acceptable. So I need to look at that."

Denying Frustration as a Factor

Earlier in the race, Leclerc had voiced complaints over the team radio regarding Ferrari's pit strategy, prompting questions about whether frustration fueled his aggressive final-lap maneuver. However, he firmly dismissed the notion.

"No, I was very calm actually. I was very calm," Leclerc insisted. "I wanted to get the overtake from Oscar in that last lap. Hence why I didn't make his life too difficult before the last corner for him to overtake me."

He elaborated on his mindset during the critical moment in Turn 3: "I was relatively calm in the car. Of course, I pushed like an animal in Turn 3. Most of the time this year, it went through. I've had quite a few battles this year, but this time it didn't. I'm disappointed with myself."

Looming Investigations

The fallout from the chaotic final lap may not be over for the Ferrari driver. Leclerc is currently under investigation by the stewards for multiple potential infractions. These include allegedly leaving the track multiple times and gaining an advantage, driving an unsafe car following his contact with the wall, and causing a collision with Russell.