‘I was too greedy’: Charles Leclerc explains error that led to costly Imola spin

Leclerc was fortunate to avoid a race-ending crash after clipping a kerb

Charles Leclerc had appeared set for a podium finish before spinning off track (Getty Images)

Charles Leclerc has said that he was “too greedy” after a late spin ended his chances of a podium finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The early championship leader had started slowly at Imola, losing second spot to Sergio Perez and struggling to close in on the Mexican and Max Verstappen, who eventually secured a Red Bull one-two at Ferrari’s home circuit.

Leclerc and Ferrari made the decision to pit from third late on to go to a softer tyre in a bid to steal a point for the fastest lap of the afternoon and an outside chance of hunting down Perez.

But pushing hard into a chicane, the Monegasque caught the kerb and lost control of his car, fortunate to avoid a more serious collision with the wall but forced to pit to fix a damaged front wing.

It meant Leclerc dropped down the field, and while he was able to fight up to sixth on fresher tyres, Verstappen and Perez closed the gap at the top of the early world title standings.

“It is a big shame,” Leclerc reflected on his afternoon. “Whatever happened before the spin, these are details and it is part of racing. But I believe the spin shouldn’t have happened today.

“[Third place] was the best we could do. We didn’t have the pace to do much more and I was too greedy.

“I paid the price for it and lost seven points. It is a shame, it is seven points that [will be] valuable at the end of the championship for sure. This shouldn’t happen again.”

Team-mate Carlos Sainz had earlier been forced to retire after a brush with Daniel Ricciardo in the opening corners of the race.

It meant a disappointing afternoon for a partisan crowd cloaked in Ferrari red, who were able to watch a Formula 1 race at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari for the first time since 2006 after the last two editions of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix were held behind closed doors.

Red Bull now sit just eleven points back from Ferrari in what appears likely to be a tight battle for the Constructors’ Championship.

Asked if he felt Ferrari’s rivals had taken a step forward, Leclerc said: “It’s impossible to know. We will see - only time will tell how much of a step they did but they seem to be more competitive than in the first three races.

“We had the upper hand in Bahrain and in Australia; they had the upper hand this weekend and in Jeddah.

“It is very, very close and I think it will be that way for the rest of the season. This is a big mistake, but actually the consequence considering the mistakes could have been much bigger. It’s only seven points today but it could cost more next time, so I need to be careful of that.”