Ferrari boss has no regrets despite Charles Leclerc crash at Imola

Leclerc spun out with a handful of laps remaining as his push for second place ended with him down in sixth

Leclerc’s spin cost him three places as he ended up finishing sixth (Getty Images)

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto insists he has no regrets after Charles Leclerc’s spin at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Monegasque driver was urged to push on and try to hunt down Sergio Perez towards the end of the Imola race as he eyed second place behind runaway winner Max Verstappen.

But while trying to close the gap to the Red Bull, Leclerc spun in the wet/dry conditions with just nine laps remaining.

He was then forced to pit after damaging his front wing in the collision with the wall, a move which pushed him back to ninth.

And while Leclerc managed to recover three positions in the final stages of the race, it remained a frustrating weekend for him and Ferrari - with teammate Carlos Sainz crashing out on the first lap.

Yet despite the decision to urge Leclerc to chase down Perez ending in disaster, Binotto does not see it as a mistake.

He said: “There is never a regret asking a driver to push. It’s part of their job to drive to the limit. It happens.

“These cars on the kerbs are a lot stiffer and if you make a small mistake, you pay for it quite a lot. But no regrets. We made the right choice.”

Leclerc still leads the drivers’ championship by 27 points from reigning world champion Verstappen - with the pair sharing two wins each so far this season.

Next up is the Miami Grand Prix on the weekend of 6-8 May.