Charles Leclerc says Ferrari’s rules of engagement with Lewis Hamilton are already clear and do not need to be formally put in writing after their aggressive battle at Monza. The clash between the two Ferrari drivers at the start of the Italian Grand Prix remains a talking point ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, but the Monegasque insists there is harmony inside the team.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had already explained their respective positions on the Thursday before the Spanish Grand Prix and managed to keep a safe distance from one another throughout the Madring weekend. Asked again about his relationship with his team-mate in Baku, Charles Leclerc made clear that there is little uncertainty over how the two Ferrari drivers are expected to race each other.
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari rules of engagement are already clear
Lewis Hamilton had suggested after Monza that Ferrari could benefit from putting its rules of engagement in writing. Charles Leclerc, however, does not believe such a step is necessary.
“For sure, the rules of engagement are clear and, as I have said repeatedly,” Charles Leclerc explained when discussing what happened with Lewis Hamilton at the start of the Italian Grand Prix, “what happened at Monza at Turn 2 is something we don’t want to see happen again.”
“It was right for me to admit that, and we have already discussed it in depth. It is also clear to both of us that there is no need to put anything in black and white because the rules of engagement are clear enough.”
The debate over how Ferrari should manage its two drivers has continued since Monza, with Frédéric Vasseur’s handling of the Hamilton-Leclerc team-orders question also attracting scrutiny in the following races.
Leclerc believes Ferrari’s Monza battle was overanalysed
Charles Leclerc also believes the incident received disproportionate attention simply because it involved Ferrari.
“I repeat, though, that in my opinion it has been talked about far too much, as always happens whenever Ferrari is involved. I don’t think that is fair because, if we look at the Monza race, there were also internal battles between cars from other leading teams.”
“But instead, people always talk only about the Ferraris, and I don’t think that is fair.”
The internal contest between the two drivers remains one of the most closely followed storylines of Ferrari’s season, and their qualifying, race and championship performances can be compared through the Charles Leclerc vs Lewis Hamilton F1 head-to-head statistics.
Charles Leclerc enjoys racing Lewis Hamilton
Despite the controversy surrounding Monza, Charles Leclerc said he is happy to race wheel-to-wheel with Lewis Hamilton and sees their competitiveness as a normal part of Formula 1.
“Yes, I am! There have been moments when I went too far and other moments when he went too far, but talking about it is the fundamental thing.”
“I have been at Ferrari since 2019 and I know how everything we do gets overanalysed and discussed far too much. We resolve it by talking about it, and after Monza it was enough to speak with Lewis to understand that we are simply doing what we have always done throughout our lives.”
Charles Leclerc stressed that both drivers naturally want to beat one another, but Ferrari’s interests must ultimately come first.
“We are competitive, we both want to win, but we have to win as a team and we want Ferrari to come out on top against all the other teams. That is the priority.”
His comments reinforce the more conciliatory message Charles Leclerc has delivered heading into Baku, where he has already played down suggestions of growing tension with Lewis Hamilton.
Leclerc welcomes the challenge of fighting Hamilton
For Charles Leclerc, racing against a seven-time World Champion remains part of the appeal of sharing the Ferrari garage with Lewis Hamilton.
“It is exciting to be able to fight against the best, and Hamilton is definitely one of the strongest. It is a challenge I enjoy,” Charles Leclerc concluded.
For Ferrari, the message ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is therefore straightforward: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton remain free to race competitively, but both understand the limits and the team’s overriding objective of beating its rivals.
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