MIAMI, May 2 (Reuters) - ⁠Ferrari's Charles Leclerc said he had been harsh on Formula One ⁠leader Kimi Antonelli after angrily criticising the Italian teenager in the heat ‌of the Miami Grand Prix sprint race on Saturday.

Antonelli finished fourth for Mercedes but collected a five-second penalty and was demoted to sixth for repeatedly exceeding track limits.

"Kimi is so bad on ​wheel-to-wheel (racing). He moved under braking. It's unbelievable. We are ⁠going to crash," Leclerc, who ⁠finished third, exclaimed over the radio at one point.

Speaking later, the Monegasque toned down ⁠his ‌comments.

"I was being a bit harsh maybe with the adrenaline inside the car," he said.

"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 on the grid against Ferrari.

"I ⁠wish it was ​with someone else. I really like Kimi as a person," added Leclerc. "It's just sometimes a little bit too close for comfort and not really needed as well. So in ⁠this particular case, I was quite angry in ​the car. But the comments were probably a bit too harsh."

Antonelli is the youngest championship leader in Formula One history and also the first Italian to win two ⁠races in a row since Alberto Ascari in 1953, an achievement that has ramped up expectations in Italy where Ferrari are also idolised.

The Italian made a poor start on Saturday, dropping from second to fourth, and struggled with low grip.

“After ​that, I was really frustrated and didn’t even drive ⁠well. I did a lot of mistakes and got track limits, which is something ​I need to avoid," he said.

“This weekend has ‌been more difficult but it was expected with ​everyone bringing big upgrades. We just need to maximise the result and now focus on qualifying.”

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; editing by Clare Fallon)