Former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley has offered a compelling new theory to explain Charles Leclerc’s terrifying crash at the Italian Grand Prix.
Leclerc was sent flying into the Parabolica barriers on Lap 2 of the Monza race, suffering a sickening impact registered at 60G.
The Monegasque driver was fortunate to walk away unharmed, though he initially complained of vision problems following the high-speed accident.
Post-race analysis from many quarters focused on what some observers consider a pattern of unforced errors from Leclerc, but Smedley sees things differently.
Speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast, Smedley pointed to the Lap 1 contact between Leclerc and team-mate Lewis Hamilton as the likely root cause of the incident.
Hamilton had moved up the inside of Leclerc heading into the chicane at turn one, leaving him on the outside for turn two, where he was forced onto the gravel and kerb and lost multiple places.
Smedley said: “I think he had a puncture. I think he got a puncture when he hit when they clashed wheels down at turn one. I think he got a right rear puncture. Probably some hairline crack in the wheel.”
The former Ferrari engineer also explained why such a puncture might not have been detected before the crash occurred on the following lap.
“It’s probably quite hard to see because what happens in the first lap is the tyre pressures always increase a lot,” Smedley said, explaining the mechanics behind a slow puncture developing undetected.
He continued: “So if you’ve got a slow puncture it can be still going up. I’ve had this before. So you don’t really notice it.”
Smedley also highlighted just how difficult the Parabolica corner is at those speeds, adding: “I think it’s so hard to go off there. When you’re doing like 240km an hour, you’ve got like 2000 kilos of downforce.”
The theory adds significant weight to the argument that the crash was mechanical rather than a driver error, which will likely fuel ongoing debate about the incident.
Attention now turns to the Madring street circuit this weekend, where Ferrari will be eager to put their Monza nightmare firmly behind them.
Leclerc has confirmed he is fit to race this weekend, offering the team a much-needed boost ahead of the upcoming event.
There is further positive news for Ferrari, with reports indicating that the engine in Leclerc’s car survived the enormous impact at Monza without damage.
That means Leclerc should avoid any grid penalty that would have come with fitting a new power unit, keeping Ferrari’s race weekend hopes intact going into the Madrid event.