Lewis Hamilton pushed back against Charles Leclerc’s assessment that the two Ferrari drivers “went too far” during their battle through the opening chicane of the Italian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion insisted he was already ahead through Turn 2 and rejected the idea that both drivers shared responsibility for the contact.
Hamilton started fourth at Monza and took the inside line into Turn 1 before running side-by-side with Leclerc through the second part of the chicane. Contact sent Hamilton onto the gravel and cost him several positions, while Leclerc continued before crashing heavily at the Parabolica and bringing out the red flag.
After the race, Leclerc said the pair had “gone too far” in their fight at the opening chicane, but Hamilton offered a very different assessment.
“I was ahead in Turn 2, by the apex, I was ahead. There was no ‘we’ in it,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton was then asked about Ferrari’s two drivers getting involved in such a costly battle. He insisted that he does not race dirty and said he has consistently tried to leave room for his teammate.
“I don’t race dirty. I’ve always raced clean and fairly and always left space. So, I don’t think they should be worried about me. I’ve come into the team and tried to be respectful of space and definitely not put the team in jeopardy.
“I stand by that and that’s all I can talk about,” Hamilton added.
Hamilton also directed questions about Ferrari’s internal decisions toward team principal Fred Vasseur, while reiterating that he would continue trying to extract the maximum from the team.
“You have to speak to Fred about the other side and the decisions that are taken there. I’ll keep pushing and trying to get more from the team and from our car and from the engineers and design and everything like that.”
The seven-time world champion then highlighted what he sees as a structural difference between Ferrari and his former team, Mercedes. Hamilton said Mercedes had written rules governing how its drivers should race each other, whereas Ferrari does not have the same framework.
“I think it comes down to rules of engagement. When I was at Mercedes, we had written rules of engagement.
“We never really, really had it too bad. There was a moment between me and Nico [Rosberg] a couple of times, but more often not, it was good.
“Here, there are no rules. We need to address that.”
The clash highlighted tensions inside Ferrari after a difficult home race. Leclerc subsequently crashed heavily at the Parabolica, ending his race, while Hamilton recovered to finish sixth.
Hamilton’s comments came after Leclerc had acknowledged that the opening-lap battle had gone too far, while also accepting some responsibility for the incident.
Hamilton finished sixth and moved to 191 points in the Drivers’ Championship. Kimi Antonelli leads the standings with 267 points after winning at Monza, while George Russell is second on 201.
Formula 1 now heads to Spain for the 14th round of the 2026 season, with the Spanish Grand Prix taking place from September 11-13 at Madrid’s new street circuit. GRANDE PRÊMIO will continue to cover all the action from the new venue.
FAQ
What did Lewis Hamilton say about his clash with Charles Leclerc?
Hamilton said he was ahead at the apex of Turn 2 and rejected the idea of shared responsibility, saying: “There was no ‘we’ in it.”
Why does Lewis Hamilton want rules of engagement at Ferrari?
Hamilton said Mercedes had written rules governing how its drivers raced each other and argued Ferrari needs a similar framework after the Monza clash.
Where did Lewis Hamilton finish the 2026 Italian GP?
Hamilton finished sixth at Monza and moved to 191 points in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship.
