Nico Rosberg makes feelings clear on Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc clash

Sky F1 pundit Nico Rosberg has placed the blame squarely on Charles Leclerc for Ferrari’s opening-lap clash with Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix, declaring that Leclerc was “100 per cent” at fault.

But he agreed with Martin Brundle that Hamilton was too aggressive when he attacked Leclerc for position as they entered the Variante del Rettifilo chicane.

Nico Rosberg blames Charles Leclerc for Lewis Hamilton clash

Leclerc and Hamilton lined up third and fourth on the Monza grid for Ferrari’s home race, with Hamilton urging “team work” as he stated that his 59-point deficit to championship leader Kimi Antonelli was already “huge.”

There was, however, no sign of cohesion on the opening lap.

Hamilton tried to muscle his way past Leclerc at the Turn 1/2 chicane, but his teammate shut the door on him through the second part of the chicane.

Hamilton found himself in the gravel and dropped to 10th place.

“Charles pushed me off,” he claimed over team radio.

Although the incident was noted, the stewards ruled that no further action was required.

Rosberg disagreed as he felt Leclerc was wholly responsible for his teammate’s off.

“That’s an easy one because the rules are: if the driver on the outside, which in this case is Lewis, is ahead at some point towards the apex or during turn in, then the guy on the inside must leave room,” the 2016 world champion told Sky F1.

“It’s very simple, very straightforward and simple.

“Lewis was ahead going in, so Charles has to leave room and he didn’t. So it was 100 per cent Charles’ fault and that’s it.”

Told the stewards had decided no further action, Rosberg quipped: “Could it be because it’s a Ferrari racing in Monza? Do you think that could be it?”

Had the stewards investigated the incident and ruled, like Rosberg, that Leclerc was wholly responsible, that would have meant a grid penalty for Leclerc at the next race, which he would have had to serve despite his Lap 2 retirement at Parabolica.

“It’s significant,” said Brundle, “because if they wanted to give Charles a penalty, he would have to carry it – if they wanted to say, give him a three-place grid penalty or something- he’d have to carry that forward into Madrid next weekend.

“So they have decided there’s nothing to talk about.”

Rosberg doubled down on his belief that Leclerc should’ve been penalised, saying: “Which is strange, though, because the rule is very clear. It’s written black and white, and they’ve decided to not follow that.”

He added: “The car is on the outside.”

Brundle: “So reassuringly, I called it exactly the opposite way.”

Rosberg jokingly replied: “No way! Martin, I thought you knew what you were talking about usually!”

But while the German continued to defend his former teammate, Rosberg did concede that Hamilton had been too aggressive in how he attacked Leclerc into the chicane.

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“Lewis was too aggressive there,” he said, “but he kept everything completely under control. No lockups. Left the space. So fair play to Lewis.

“But as a teammate, that was very aggressive going in Turn 1. That would have annoyed Charles massively.

“Nevertheless, still Lewis did everything right, and my view is different to yours [Brundle] that Charles was at fault.”

Hamilton’s deficit to Antonelli, who won his home race despite lining up 19th on the grid, has increased to 76 points.

Hamilton fears it is now too late to fight for the title even if Ferrari does impose team orders.

“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,” Hamilton told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets. “It’s many, many weeks too late.”

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