Leclerc makes admission after 'too close' Piastri clash at Belgian GP

On lap eight of the Belgian Grand Prix, the McLaren driver launched an attempt around the outside at Les Combes, using the slipstream and his power boost to draw alongside Leclerc. The pair made contact during the move, with debris also flying off one of the cars. After reviewing the incident, however, the stewards concluded that no further action was necessary, clearing the Monegasque of any potential penalty.

Speaking after the race, Leclerc admitted the lap-eight incident had been extremely close, although he pointed out that he would rather focus on what happened at the start. The Ferrari driver was nevertheless relieved that the contact had no significant consequences for either his race or Piastri's: "I would prefer to speak about lap one, to be honest, but lap eight was too close. Luckily, it didn’t have any consequences for either my race or his race, so that’s good."

After the contact, Leclerc showed impressive pace and remained firmly in the fight for victory with Kimi Antonelli. The Ferrari driver was helped by the perfectly timed Virtual Safety Car, which allowed him to make his pit stop while losing significantly less time than he would have under normal racing conditions.

Piastri, meanwhile, spent a stint applying pressure to Max Verstappen before eventually being overtaken by a faster Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion had recovered through the field after serving a five-second penalty during his pit stop for the opening-lap collision with George Russell.

Speaking to GPblog among other media after the race, Stella explained that he would first need to review the stewards' verdict in detail before giving a definitive opinion on the Leclerc-Piastri incident, particularly to understand which elements had been considered decisive in reaching the decision and whether the relative positioning of the two cars had played a key role.

The McLaren team principal nevertheless felt there were important lessons to be learned from the incident, stressing that when two cars remain alongside each other for an extended period, the driver defending the inside line should always leave sufficient racing room. In his view, any contact in those circumstances can quickly escalate into a major accident, making it an area that deserves careful consideration going forward.