– Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc retired in Monza due to a serious accident already in the early stages. But was his participation in the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid this weekend (follow all sessions here in the Formula 1 live ticker!) jeopardized by the crash? Leclerc denies it: “It wasn’t that bad. I’m fine.”
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Leclerc went off at the fast Monza final corner right at the start of the race and hit the barriers hard. Afterwards, he complained of eye problems. However, his vision impairment lasted “really only very briefly,” Leclerc assures: “One eye wasn’t working properly, but after a few seconds everything was fine again.” Therefore, he “didn’t worry too much.”
“I was aware it was a heavy impact, and something like that is never good for the body. But immediately afterwards I could see quite well again,” explains Leclerc.
He said he “did not feel particularly well” after the accident and also in the following days, the Ferrari driver said. He speaks of tension and pain in the neck, which is why he sought treatment. “But all examinations were unremarkable. I was examined several times and everything was fine,” Leclerc said.
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What if Charles Leclerc had missed Madrid?
That is not a given with an accident of this magnitude: “It was a pretty heavy crash. From the outside it probably looked severe as well, but inside the car it felt that way too,” says Leclerc. “But sometimes an accident can look pretty bad from the outside, while inside the car it doesn’t feel that bad at all.”
Medically, there is therefore nothing against participating in the race in Madrid: Ferrari will compete at the Formula 1 premiere of the Madrid circuit as usual with its regular drivers Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
If Leclerc had to be replaced, Ferrari would probably have put Haas driver Oliver Bearman in – as already in 2024 in Saudi Arabia, when Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz. Haas would then have had to fill Bearman’s cockpit in turn.
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