Lewis Hamilton put Ferrari’s growing intra-team tension aside after the Italian Grand Prix to express his relief that Charles Leclerc was unharmed following the Monegasque driver’s enormous 60G crash at Monza.
Leclerc lost control of his Ferrari on the exit of the Parabolica at the end of lap two and was launched into the barriers, with the damage severe enough to require a red flag. He initially experienced difficulty seeing through his right eye after the impact, although the problem subsequently eased, and he was examined at the circuit medical centre before being cleared to leave Monza after completing his media duties.
Lewis Hamilton sends message to Charles Leclerc after 60G Monza crash
Hamilton addressed the incident publicly on Monday in an Instagram post reflecting on Ferrari’s difficult home Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion thanked the Tifosi and explained that the team had given everything it could, even though the final outcome had fallen short of what Ferrari wanted.
He also emphasised how much the support throughout the Italian Grand Prix weekend had meant to both himself and the team. Hamilton described the passion shown by Ferrari’s supporters as remarkable, stressed that the Scuderia shared that commitment with them and promised that the team would continue pushing to recover from the disappointment.
Most importantly after Leclerc’s accident, Hamilton expressed his relief that his team-mate was okay. He added that Ferrari remained committed to making progress and pursuing the level of performance expected of the team, with everyone determined to continue giving everything possible to produce the results its supporters deserved.
The message came after a weekend in which the relationship between Ferrari’s two drivers had come under increasing scrutiny. Leclerc has since rejected suggestions of a feud with Hamilton, but several incidents across the Dutch and Italian Grand Prix weekends have intensified the debate over how the pair should race each other.
Hamilton and Leclerc tension had already increased before the crash
Hamilton and Leclerc appear to have maintained a positive relationship through their season and a half as Ferrari team-mates, although signs of competitive tension have become more visible. At the Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton was furious that Ferrari did not impose team orders when he believed Leclerc was holding him up while he was running on fresher tyres. Hamilton felt that decision ultimately cost him an opportunity to finish on the podium.
The subject resurfaced at Monza. After qualifying on Saturday, the Briton strongly suggested that Ferrari should consider prioritising his championship challenge over Leclerc’s because he held the stronger position in the drivers’ standings as both drivers’ title hopes continued to fade.
Hamilton then qualified one position behind his team-mate and attacked him into the first chicane on the opening lap. Leclerc defended the position, leaving Hamilton to run through the gravel and lose six places. Over the radio, Hamilton accused the Monegasque of forcing him off the circuit.
After the race, Leclerc dismissed the idea that the two drivers were working against one another. Hamilton nevertheless maintained that he had been ahead at the apex during their opening-lap battle and argued that Ferrari should introduce clearer rules of engagement for future situations.
That debate has also prompted Fred Vasseur to explain Ferrari’s position on team orders following the Hamilton-Leclerc Monza clash, with the Scuderia facing increasingly difficult decisions as the competitive stakes between its two drivers rise.
Ferrari’s Monza race unravels within two laps
The team-mate incident proved to be only the beginning of Ferrari’s problems. Hamilton’s trip through the gravel sent him down the order, while Leclerc’s race ended moments later when he lost control at the Parabolica and hit the barriers heavily.
Ferrari was therefore left with only one car for the remainder of its home Grand Prix. Hamilton recovered to sixth place, but the result fell well short of the expectations surrounding a weekend in front of the Tifosi. Fans can follow further developments involving both drivers through ScuderiaFans’ dedicated Charles Leclerc coverage.
The Briton’s race also included further frustration over strategy, while the wider performance picture showed that Ferrari could not match Mercedes or McLaren strongly enough to fight at the front. His sixth-place finish left him 36 points ahead of Leclerc in the drivers’ championship, although the more significant gap is now the 76 points separating him from championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
That deficit leaves Hamilton with little realistic hope of overturning the championship situation. Ferrari’s constructors’ campaign also suffered another setback on a weekend when the team had hoped to deliver a major result at its most important home event.
Ferrari records its worst collective Monza result since 2020
The final outcome represented Ferrari’s worst Italian Grand Prix as a team since 2020, when both of its cars retired. Under the current Formula 1 points system, there have been only two occasions on which Ferrari has scored fewer than the eight points it collected from Hamilton’s sixth-place finish at Monza.
Against that disappointing competitive backdrop, Hamilton’s social-media message offered a different perspective on the weekend. Despite their increasingly intense rivalry and disagreement over how their opening-lap fight unfolded, the seven-time world champion made his concern for Leclerc’s wellbeing clear once the racing was over.
For Ferrari, the challenge now extends beyond recovering lost championship ground. The Maranello team must also manage two highly competitive drivers whose individual ambitions are becoming harder to reconcile, while ensuring incidents such as their Monza opening lap do not compromise another opportunity for the team.
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