Charles Leclerc Apologizes for “Too Harsh” Kimi Antonelli Radio Message After Tense Miami Sprint Battle

Charles Leclerc walked back his fiery Miami Sprint radio rant about Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, admitting his comments were “a bit too harsh” in the heat of battle. But his bigger point remains: this wasn’t a one-off. Leclerc says they’ve “had our moments,” and Antonelli’s aggressive braking and penalties are putting their growing rivalry under a more focus.

The Ferrari driver found himself in a closely fought battle with Mercedes’ Antonelli during the 19-lap Sprint, the pair trading positions in a tense wheel-to-wheel exchange centred around a tight moment under braking where Leclerc felt forced into defending his position.

His frustration came out immediately over team radio as he called Antonelli “so bad to wheel to wheel,” claiming he “moved under braking,” and warning that “we are going to crash.”

Strong words. And Leclerc acknowledged as much when the helmet came off.

Asked in the post-race press conference whether those comments were a heat-of-the-moment reaction or a genuine concern about Antonelli’s racecraft, Leclerc was honest about both:

“I was being a bit harsh maybe with the adrenaline inside the car. It’s true that we’ve had our moments with Kimi in the past and I hope this calms down a little bit going ahead. Especially he’s the only Italian driver on the grid against Ferrari – I wish it was with someone else and I really like Kimi also as a person. So yeah, no, it’s just sometimes a little bit too close for comfort and not really needed as well. In this particular case I was quite angry in the car but the comments were probably a bit too harsh.”

Why This Pattern Is Worth Watching

It’s a gracious walk-back, but Antonelli’s Miami Sprint was already messy before anyone crossed the line. He dropped positions off the start and ultimately picked up a five-second time penalty for multiple track limits violations, dropping him from fourth to sixth in the final table.

And while Antonelli continues to show real confidence behind the wheel of Formula 1 machinery, his racing style has sometimes placed him under scrutiny, particularly in battles against more experienced drivers.

Leclerc’s frustration is understandable on those terms. What he’s describing is no longer a rookie moment to be forgiven and forgotten. Instead, it’s starting to turn into recurring behaviour.

Leclerc ended the Sprint in third place behind winner Lando Norris and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri – a solid result on a weekend when Ferrari brought a substantial upgrade package to Miami.

There’s no catastrophe here for either driver. But if these two are going to keep circling the same piece of tarmac at high speed, the adrenaline-fuelled radio calls are probably going to keep coming, and walking them back in press conferences gets less convincing each time.