Hamilton Laments Ferrari Approach After Leclerc Italian GP Crash

Lewis Hamilton said it was “too late” for Ferrari to make him the priority after an opening-lap clash with team-mate Charles Leclerc disrupted both drivers’ Italian Grand Prix. Leclerc later crashed out on lap two, while Hamilton said the incident had cost him ground against the Mercedes-powered rivals ahead in the standings.

The Ferrari drivers came together at the first chicane on the opening lap. Hamilton, who had started fourth, bounced into the gravel and fell to 10th, responding over team radio: “Charles pushed me off.” Leclerc’s afternoon then ended shortly afterwards when he hit the barriers at Parabolica.

The early double setback left the scarlet-clad home crowd without the result it wanted. Hamilton had arrived at the event hoping a record sixth victory could strengthen his slim hopes of an eighth title, but he said Ferrari did not have the straight-line speed required to challenge those around and ahead of him.

Opening-lap contact puts Ferrari pair under scrutiny

Leclerc accepted that the first-corner battle with Hamilton had crossed a line. “Here, it’s true though that we went too far, I think, with Lewis in Turn One,” the Monegasque driver said after the race.

The clash renewed attention on the relationship between Ferrari’s two drivers following discussion after the Dutch Grand Prix. Hamilton had complained after that race that the team had not issued orders to Leclerc. Asked on Sunday whether Ferrari should have made him the priority in its fight with the Mercedes-powered teams at the top of the standings, Hamilton made clear that he believed the moment for that approach had already passed.

“It’s too far past that already, too late for that now and I lost a lot of points to those guys,” Hamilton said. “We will do our best to keep pushing the rest of the season, but they are out and out ahead of us.”

Leclerc, meanwhile, rejected the wider suggestion that Ferrari’s drivers were operating against each other. He said he did not know who was driving the narrative that the pair were “one against the other,” adding that there had already been too much discussion following Zandvoort. Still, he acknowledged that the Italian Grand Prix opening lap had provided a specific example of the two drivers going too far in their fight for position.

Hamilton said the disappointment was particularly sharp given the setting and the support Ferrari received from its fans. “That one hurts,” he said. “That one definitely hurts.” He thanked the tifosi for their support and apologised that the team could not deliver the result they wanted.

Hamilton cites straight-line deficit as Ferrari look ahead

Hamilton said he had given the race everything but was vulnerable in the battles around him because of Ferrari’s lack of speed on the straights. “I was just mostly a sitting duck to those guys around me and up ahead,” he said. The Briton said the team would review internally what it could have done better as it continues through the remainder of the season.

For Leclerc, the immediate concern after the Parabolica crash was his condition for the next round. He was checked at the circuit medical centre and said he had experienced slight vision problems. He said further checks would be needed that night and the following day before next weekend’s first Spanish race at the new Madring circuit.

“It should be the case, but better to be safe than sorry,” Leclerc said of being ready for Madrid. Ferrari now heads into that event with Hamilton focused on recovering lost ground and Leclerc awaiting confirmation that he is fully fit after a difficult home Grand Prix.