Lewis Hamilton sends new Leclerc message after Italian Grand Prix
Are cracks starting to appear in the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc?
Lewis Hamilton says he is “glad to see” that Charles Leclerc is “OK” following his Ferrari teammate’s accident in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
And he has insisted that Ferrari is “committed to progress and greatness” after criticising the team’s approach following Sunday’s race.
Lewis Hamilton ‘glad to see’ Charles Leclerc escape uninjured from Italian GP crash
Hamilton finished sixth at Monza as Mercedes driver and F1 2026 championship leader Kimi Antonelli won from 19th on the grid.
The seven-time world champion was upset after a close call with Leclerc at the first chicane, which ended with Hamilton running through the gravel on exit, costing him a number of positions.
Leclerc went on to crash out of the race on the exit of Parabolica on the second lap, which resulted in a red flag delay.
The Monegasque was forced to visit the medical centre but was released a short time later.
After apologising for his post-race comments at last month’s Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton once again criticised Ferrari’s tactics after the chequered flag at Monza.
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He also dismissed Leclerc’s suggestion that the drivers shared the blame for the Lap 1 incident, telling PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “I was ahead in Turn 2. There was no ‘we’ in it.”
In a post to social media on Monday, Hamilton said that he was relieved to see Leclerc escape unharmed from the incident at Parabolica.
And he vowed that Ferrari “will keep pushing together to come back” from a weekend that failed to live up to expectations for Ferrari.
He wrote: “Grazie Tifosi. We gave it everything but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.
“Through it all, the support the entire week has been incredible. I’m always in awe of the amount of passion and love we receive. It means so much to me and to the team.
“We share that passion with you and we will keep pushing together to come back from this.
“I’m glad to see that Charles is ok, we’re committed to progress and greatness and will continue to give it everything we can to deliver the results you all deserve.
“Vi amo tutti.”
Hamilton, whose only victory of the F1 2026 season came in Barcelona in June, trails Antonelli by 76 points ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit in Madrid.
The 41-year-old has not reached the podium since finishing third in his home race, the British Grand Prix, on July 5.
Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets on Sunday at Monza, Hamilton acknowledged that it is “too late” for Ferrari to favour him over Leclerc in the title race.
He said: “I think from today, we just lost so much ground to them on points, and it’s far too late for those decisions to come.
“It’s many, many weeks too late.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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