Charles Leclerc rejects ‘unnecessary risk’ claim after surprise crash at Imola

The Ferrari driver crashed at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to finish in sixth rather than third

Leclerc lost out on a podium place at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (AP)

Charles Leclerc has dismissed claims he took unnecessary risks at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Ferrari star crashed after he attempted to overtake Sergio Perez at Imola, which saw him miss out on third place and end the grand prix in sixth as his lead at the top of the drivers’ standings was cut.

Yet despite the incident, Leclerc is adamant he read the track well and didn’t do anything untoward.

“I don’t think I was taking particularly more risk but I was quick there and the car felt good there, especially in the race,” he said per GP Fans.

“I felt like it was probably one of the corners where Checo [Perez] was a bit less competitive than me. On that lap, I knew there was an opportunity so I tried to push a bit more, and it was too much.

“But apart from that, I don’t think I took any unnecessary risk on the other laps during the weekend. Everything was okay on that side.”

And while he believes he assessed the risks well at the Imola track, Leclerc has conceded that he became too “greedy” on race day.

He told Sky: “P3 was the best I could do... we didn’t have the pace for much more and I was too greedy, and I paid the price for it and lost seven potential points compared to my third place.

“It is a shame. They are seven points that are valuable at the end of the championship for sure, and this shouldn’t happen again.”

Leclerc remains ahead in the drivers’ standings but defending champion Max Verstappen is closing in on the Ferrari driver. The Dutchman is 27 points behind Leclerc and the next opportunity for the pair to fight it out is at the Miami Grand Prix on May .