Sports10 September, 20262 min read
Lewis Hamilton Says He And Charles Leclerc Squashed Monza Gravel Incident After Leclerc Admits Error
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Leclerc forced Hamilton into the gravel at Monza's first chicane, then crashed. Hamilton finished sixth; Leclerc retired after a crash at Monza.
Squashed Monza dispute
Lewis Hamilton said he and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc have “squashed” the Monza controversy after Leclerc forced Hamilton into the gravel at the first chicane and then crashed two laps later, with Hamilton recovering to finish sixth. Hamilton told reporters that “We sat face to face, just him and I, and talked about it,” adding that they were “both open and honest” as they moved on.
Leclerc said the key principle was that “we never want to see a car of the same team in the grass,” and he said that after reviewing the incident he spoke with Hamilton and “I obviously know I went too far in turn two.” Hamilton also said Ferrari must improve execution, arguing that instead of “us working against each other and finish fourth and fifth, maybe we can work together and get a podium and pull off more points.”
Rules, team orders debate
Beyond the personal reconciliation, the dispute fed into a broader argument about “internal rules,” with Fred Vasseur saying Ferrari drivers can count on equal treatment but that “then there may come a point where we have to make a decision if one of the two is out of the fight.”
Vasseur rejected Hamilton’s earlier line that “there are no rules here,” saying “Saying that there are no ‘internal rules’ does not reflect reality.”
Hamilton, speaking at the Spanish Grand Prix press conference in Madrid, said he and Vasseur discussed the tensions that emerged after the Italian Grand Prix and that “It’s been positive. I spoke to Fred on Monday to clarify.”
Hamilton also played down the idea of a deeper internal problem, insisting “we stick together and find a way forward,” and he added that disagreements between teammates and team management are “nothing major.”
Spanish GP stakes
With Ferrari arriving at the Spanish Grand Prix at Madring after Monza, Hamilton said the immediate priority is maximizing performance every weekend rather than focusing on the 2026 title deficit, telling reporters “That’s all we can do.” Hamilton said he sits third in the Drivers’ standings behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, and he described the 76-point gap to the championship leader as “the biggest gap I’ve seen in a long time.”
Leclerc said he needed the OK from the championship’s doctors to compete in Madring, and he framed the Monza incident as something that “definitely did not affect the good relationship we have and will not affect anything in the future.” Mercedes driver George Russell called Madring “a crazy circuit” and “arguably one of the most risky circuits of the whole calendar,” warning that walls are very close and there is “no margin for error.”