Charles Leclerc reveals why he didn’t return to Ferrari after Dutch GP crash

Charles Leclerc admits he stayed on a hillside after his Dutch GP crash because the only way back to the Ferrari garage was through a packed grandstand

Charles Leclerc has revealed why he didn't walk back to the Ferrari garage after a crash during the Dutch Grand Prix ended his race early. Choosing to sit on a grassy hillside, he instead decided to watch the race end from there.

The Monegasque was asked about his choice to stay and watch the race instead of returning to his team ahead of the Italian Grand Prix weekend.

"Was it fun? I'm not sure. I mean, it was nice to be able to at least watch the race from somewhere," Leclerc said when asked about his time watching the race from the hill he was perched on. "But yeah, I mean, obviously, I was quite depressed after what happened. And as a team to not score any points was disappointing."

The Ferrari driver would have struggled to return to the garage, with the only route back passing by a grandstand full of Formula 1 fans. As you can imagine, Leclerc would pull quite the crowd, making a discreet exit almost impossible.

"I think everybody's working towards letting us get back to the paddock whenever there's something. But on some tracks it's just not possible. And the only way for me to get back to the paddock was to pass by a grandstand. Which I think would have been quite challenging."

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari crash

Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images

Leclerc's race ended when Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli attempted an overtake at Turn 3 with a lunge down the inside. Misjudging the camber of the corner, the young Italian understeered into the SF-25, causing it to spin into the barrier and sustain substantial damage in the process.

This was Ferrari's second DNF of the race, after Lewis Hamilton crashed in the same place earlier on.

"I just decided to wait there," Leclerc continued. "Which I think was the right choice. And luckily enough there was at least a hill. So with all the bad luck we've had at least I stopped at the right place on track to have a good viewpoint. But yeah, I would rather have stayed in the race."

Hamilton, on the other hand, was able to walk across the track, meaning he only had a short walk back to the garage in comparison.