Lewis Hamilton delivers verdict on Charles Leclerc clash as Ferrari tensions ease

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc may have cleared the air in a ‘face-to-face’ sit-down after their Monza battle, but the Briton acknowledges that flashpoints between teammates are not new in F1.

The teammates had a one-on-one after the Italian Grand Prix, with Leclerc revealing he admitted to Hamilton that he “went too far” in his defending at Turn 2.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc put Monza clash behind them

Hamilton was put on the back foot at the start of the Italian Grand Prix when he tried to pass Leclerc at the Turn 1/2 chicane.

Although the Briton muscled his way just ahead of Leclerc through Turn 1, the Monegasque driver shut the door through Turn 2. Hamilton was on the outside of his teammate and found himself in the gravel.

He told Ferrari that Leclerc had “pushed” him off but the stewards ruled that no further action was necessary.

Hamilton, who finished the Grand Prix in sixth place, was fuming with Leclerc and Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur in the immediate aftermath.

The seven-time world champion and Leclerc subsequently sat down in a one-on-one and cleared the air, with Leclerc admitting he had gone too far.

Hamilton appreciated that and insisted the two have moved past Monza.

“I think what’s great is that there was no shying away from having a discussion,” he told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media in Madrid.

“We sat face to face, just him and I, and talked about it, and we were just both open and honest, and we squashed it, and we can move on.

“And I think that’s that one shows the maturity from him, and I think it’s healthy. It’s just a relationship we have built over time.

“Of course, there’s going to be frustrations, and there’s going to be times where we’re kind of there.

“I’m sure there’ll be more times we are close because we’re very close in pace. We both want to win just as much as each other, and we both want to do well for the team as well.

“So, but yeah, I think it’s real positive.”

But while the teammates have put Monza behind them, Hamilton concedes flashpoints between competitive teammates is nothing new in Formula 1.

After all, the teammates already had several “kisses”, as Hamilton put it in China, this season.

“I think just look at the history of the sport, this happened before, so it’s nothing,” he said.

Ferrari, though, has yet to discuss rules of engagement with the drivers.

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“It was not [discussed],” Hamilton revealed.

“Right now, I’m just trying to focus on having a better weekend this weekend. I’m sure at some stage we’ll discuss how we can be better.

“We’ve not had a lot of time to just turn around and can’t change things in two days.”

Finishing sixth at Monza as Kimi Antonelli recorded his seventh Grand Prix win of the season, Hamilton dropped 76 points behind the championship leader.

Asked if the title was still possible, Hamilton conceded: “Well, mathematically it is, but it’s the biggest gap I’ve seen in a long, long time.

“So, and at this point of the year, the fact is Mercedes are the leaders. They’re out ahead. They’re doing a fantastic job, and I think we should just focus on trying to do our best each weekend. That’s what we can do.”

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