Charles Leclerc rejected the idea that there is an internal dispute at Ferrari between him and Lewis Hamilton after the contact between the two at the start of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix this Sunday (6). Despite this, the Monegasque acknowledged that the battle for position on the first lap went beyond the limits at the Monza circuit.
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“I really don’t know who is pushing this narrative that we are against each other,” he replied. The statement came after another episode involving the two teammates, at a time when the work between Ferrari drivers has been the subject of discussions. Leclerc also mentioned what happened earlier at the Dutch GP.
At Monza, the situation happened right at the start. The two drivers started from the second row and had a good launch. However, Hamilton tried to overtake Leclerc on the inside of the track, but the Monegasque held the position and kept the inside line for the second corner. Hamilton stayed alongside, but Leclerc did not give way.
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The seven-time world champion, however, ended with two wheels in the gravel and lost several positions. Leclerc also considered that the episode was not a good image for Ferrari in front of the tifosi, especially because he ended up crashing and retiring from the race on the next lap.
“Here, it’s true that we went too far,” he said. “I think Lewis at turn 1, and then at turn 2, I tried to take the tightest line possible, but it simply wasn’t enough – and doing that here is not good,” he concluded.
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