Leclerc backtracks after Antonelli criticism in Miami

Charles Leclerc has backed down after sharply criticising championship leader Kimi Antonelli during the Miami sprint.

In the heat of the race, the Ferrari driver had complained over team radio that "Kimi is so bad wheel-to-wheel" and described "moving under braking" as "unbelievable".

But speaking afterwards, Leclerc admitted he had gone too far.

"First of all, I have to apologise for my comments," he told Viaplay.

"I think in the heat of the battle they were a little too hard for Kimi. Sometimes you say things you don’t mean, but it’s true that it’s more often than not too exciting with Kimi."

In the FIA press conference, he elaborated.

"It’s true that we’ve had our moments with Kimi in the past and I hope this calms down a little bit going ahead, especially as he’s the only Italian driver on the grid against Ferrari."

"I wish it was with someone else, and I really like Kimi also as a person."

He even joked about the optics of the clash.

"If there’s one driver I don’t want to have problems with, it’s Kimi," Leclerc said.

"Racing like an Italian against a Ferrari is not so good."

Despite the flashpoint, Antonelli’s stock continues to rise, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff continuing to praise the young Italian and McLaren CEO Zak Brown reportedly viewing him as a stronger title contender than George Russell.

"George told me he’s having trouble on some of the circuits," Wolff said.

"The asphalt here is very smooth. It’s almost like tennis - some play well on clay, others on hard."

On track, the competitive picture suddenly looks tight, with McLaren taking a sprint 1-2 and Max Verstappen back in contention after Red Bull’s upgrade.

Attention is now turning to Sunday’s main race - with heavy rain forecast.

The FIA has already moved the start forward.

"This decision has been taken to ensure the least amount of disruption to the race, and to ensure the maximum possible window to complete the Grand Prix in the best conditions," part of the statement read.

Drivers are wary of the conditions, particularly under the new rules.

"It was pretty awful," said Lewis Hamilton of wet running in recent testing.

"It wasn’t a fun day. 350 kilowatts to get on the road. It wasn’t the most fun, but the rain is usually not that much fun these days."

"In the past, when we had tyres with more grip, it was slightly better."

Fernando Alonso also pointed to Ferrari’s advantage in wet preparation.

"Only Ferrari does private tests with Pirelli rain tyres," he quipped. "We don’t have that opportunity.

"So if it rains tomorrow, we’ll do the same test Ferrari did last week."

Meanwhile, Alpine boss Steve Nielsen dismissed suggestions the race could be delayed to Monday.

"I always chuckle at such speculation," he said.

"We wouldn’t even have any marshals on Monday. They all have regular jobs."