Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have come under strong criticism from former Formula 1 driver Davide Valsecchi after their opening-lap battle contributed to a disastrous Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari. With an estimated 400,000 supporters attending across the Monza event, Valsecchi was particularly frustrated that the two Ferrari drivers fought each other immediately at the first chicane on a day when the team desperately needed a major home result.
Ferrari had locked out the second row of the grid and appeared to have an opportunity to turn that starting position into significant points. Instead, the Scuderia left Monza with only eight. Hamilton recovered to finish sixth after losing six positions during the opening-lap incident, while Leclerc’s race ended when he crashed at Parabolica on lap three.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc clash immediately at Monza
The trouble began at the opening chicane. Lewis Hamilton attempted to pass Charles Leclerc but was forced onto the gravel, an excursion that sent the seven-time world champion backwards through the field and cost him six places.
The moment quickly became one of the most debated incidents of Ferrari’s weekend. Hamilton was unhappy with the way the situation had been handled and subsequently criticised the lack of communication and clearly defined rules of engagement when racing his team-mate. The episode added another layer to the continuing discussion over Ferrari’s approach to team orders between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Other former drivers have also assessed the first-corner battle, including David Coulthard, whose view of the Hamilton-Leclerc opening-lap incident at Monza added to the wider debate over how the Ferrari pair should race each other.
Davide Valsecchi frustrated by Ferrari drivers’ first-corner fight
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Davide Valsecchi made clear that his frustration was directed at both drivers rather than one side of the garage. He highlighted the stature of the pair, describing Lewis Hamilton as either the greatest or one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers when judged by results, while regarding Charles Leclerc as an enormous talent who arguably deserves to become a world champion.
That pedigree was precisely why Valsecchi found their behaviour so difficult to accept. In his assessment, it was extraordinary for two drivers of that level to begin fighting each other at the very first corner when such an enormous Ferrari crowd had gathered to support them.
The Italian former driver expressed deep disappointment and argued that Hamilton and Leclerc had behaved like children by becoming involved in an intra-team fight immediately in front of roughly 400,000 supporters. His criticism reflected a wider frustration with how quickly Ferrari’s promising grid positions disappeared once the race began.
Kimi Antonelli’s Monza victory made Ferrari’s disappointment worse
Ferrari’s home Grand Prix became even more painful because of what happened at the front. Kimi Antonelli started 19th but recovered to win on home soil, producing a result that ultimately gave the Italian crowd a different hero to celebrate.
Senior Ferrari figures were present at Monza and witnessed the Tifosi cheering the Mercedes driver beneath the podium after the Scuderia had failed to capitalise on its own starting position. The team’s result was described as having gone down badly with the hierarchy, adding to the embarrassment of scoring only eight points from such a promising position.
Antonelli’s charge also provided a stark contrast with Ferrari’s race. While the Maranello cars were compromised by their own first-lap battle and Charles Leclerc’s subsequent retirement, the Mercedes driver recovered from the back of the grid to take victory. Lewis Hamilton also had a close view of Kimi Antonelli’s progress through the field at Monza.
The Italian Grand Prix extended Ferrari’s run without a podium and intensified the scrutiny surrounding a team that had arrived at its home race with considerably higher expectations.
Fred Vasseur faces another Ferrari driver-management dilemma
The fallout is not limited to Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Ferrari are dissatisfied with Fred Vasseur and the way the team principal is managing the relationship between his drivers, leaving him with an increasingly important decision over how to handle the remainder of the season.
Vasseur must determine whether maintaining equal treatment remains the best approach or whether circumstances now require one driver to be prioritised. The subject has become increasingly sensitive as Hamilton begins to complain behind the scenes and seeks greater clarity from the team about how races between the two Ferraris should be managed.
The situation fits into the broader debate over Ferrari’s problems following the difficult Italian Grand Prix. Monza exposed not only performance shortcomings but also the consequences of allowing a driver-management issue to become part of the sporting discussion at such an important stage of the season.
Separate reports have also pointed to growing pressure from Lewis Hamilton on Fred Vasseur, further increasing attention on how the Ferrari team principal balances two high-profile drivers with their own ambitions.
For Valsecchi, however, the immediate issue was simpler. Ferrari had two of the world’s leading drivers, hundreds of thousands of supporters at its home Grand Prix and a second-row lockout from which to build. Instead, the team’s afternoon was compromised almost immediately by its own cars fighting at the first corner, before Leclerc’s early crash left Hamilton to secure Ferrari’s only eight points of the race.
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