Leclerc retracts his statements following criticism from Antonelli in Miami.

      Charles Leclerc has retracted his harsh criticism of championship leader Kimi Antonelli following the Miami sprint. During the race, the Ferrari driver expressed his frustration over team radio, stating that "Kimi is so bad wheel-to-wheel" and called "moving under braking" "unbelievable." However, afterwards, Leclerc acknowledged that his remarks were excessive.

      "First of all, I have to apologize for my comments," he told Viaplay. "In the heat of the battle, they were a bit too harsh towards Kimi. Sometimes you say things you don’t really mean, but it’s true that racing with Kimi is often quite thrilling." In the FIA press conference, he expanded on his thoughts.

      "It’s true we've had our moments with Kimi in the past, and I hope things settle down going forward, especially since he’s the only Italian driver on the grid competing against Ferrari. I wish it was against someone else, and I genuinely like Kimi as a person." He even joked about the situation.

      "If there’s one driver I don’t want issues with, it’s Kimi," Leclerc remarked. "Racing as an Italian against a Ferrari isn’t ideal." Despite the recent incident, Antonelli's popularity continues to grow, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff praising the young Italian and McLaren CEO Zak Brown reportedly viewing him as a more formidable title contender than George Russell.

      "George told me he’s struggling on some circuits," Wolff mentioned. "The surface here is very smooth. It’s almost like tennis—some excel on clay, while others perform better on hard surfaces." The competitive landscape has changed, with McLaren achieving a sprint 1-2 and Max Verstappen back in the mix following Red Bull's upgrade.

      Focus is now shifting to Sunday’s main race, with heavy rain predicted. The FIA has already decided to move the start time earlier. "This decision was made to minimize disruption to the race and maximize the opportunity to complete the Grand Prix under the best possible conditions," part of the statement read. Drivers are concerned about the weather, particularly with the new regulations in place.

      "It was pretty awful," Lewis Hamilton said regarding wet conditions during recent testing. "It wasn’t an enjoyable day. 350 kilowatts just to get on the road. It wasn’t the most entertaining, but rain isn’t usually much fun these days." He noted that when they had tires with better grip in the past, it was somewhat more manageable.

      Fernando Alonso also highlighted Ferrari's edge in wet weather preparation. "Only Ferrari conducts private tests with Pirelli rain tires," he joked. "We don’t have that chance. So if it rains tomorrow, we’ll just do the same testing Ferrari did last week." Meanwhile, Alpine team principal Steve Nielsen dismissed any thoughts that the race might be postponed until Monday.

      "I always find such speculation amusing," he said. "We wouldn’t even have marshals available on Monday as they all have regular jobs."