The dispute between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the start of the Formula 1 Italian GP continues to generate debates, now with Rob Smedley, former Ferrari engineer, giving his opinion on the case.
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The duo from the Maranello team ended up touching in the early laps of the battle for position. Shortly after, the Monegasque retired and the British seven-time champion crossed the finish line in sixth place.
Commenting on the subject, Smedley pointed out that Charles’s performance has been due to having someone like Hamilton as a teammate. “You can’t disregard what they did at the start of the season. They had a good car. Lewis was in good shape and continues to be,” he said on the High Performance podcast.
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“Charles has ups and downs, but I am quite convinced that this is due to the psychological pressure of having someone as good as Lewis by his side, or a Lewis on the rise. [Leclerc] is not having a great season by Charles Leclerc’s standards.”
“He is a good driver. How many seasons has Charles been in F1 now? 10 [actually nine] So you make a decision about a rookie who is very fast and crashes a lot, right? That’s the decision you have to make. Not about a guy who has been in F1 for between five and 10 years,” he concluded.
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