Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc fought hard during the Formula 1 Chinese GP. On Sunday (15), after the race in Shanghai, the British Ferrari driver explained the ‘little kiss’ he gave his Monegasque teammate, downplaying the contact.
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The Maranello team duo battled for almost the entire race for third place in the second round of the calendar. At the front, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell disappeared into the lead, dominating with their pace.
When the start was authorized, the seven-time Formula 1 champion even took the lead, but soon lost ground to the German team’s rivals. Then, when the safety car came out, Lewis and Charles were fighting on track.
At a certain point, the competitors even collided slightly, but in the end, Hamilton got the better of it, finished in third place, and thus achieved his first podium for Ferrari.
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After the checkered flag, Lewis explained the slight contact he had with Leclerc. “I think there was a moment where we touched, but it was subtle, just a ‘little kiss’. So, it’s fine,” he said.
“But that’s what it’s about. It’s about hard racing. And I need to say a huge thank you to everyone at Ferrari, everyone in Maranello, for putting us in this position. I know it’s not exactly where we want to be. We want to be at the front, where those guys [Mercedes] are, but we have a great base to work from and we need to push as hard as possible,” he added.
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