Lewis Hamilton has described Charles Leclerc’s opening-lap move at the Italian Grand Prix as “really damaging” for Ferrari, insisting that he was already ahead of his team-mate at Turn 2 when their battle sent him into the gravel. After eventually recovering to sixth at Monza, the seven-time world champion was also blunt about the championship picture, admitting Mercedes are now too far ahead both in performance and points.
Ferrari’s home Grand Prix turned into one of the Scuderia’s most difficult weekends of the season. Lewis Hamilton reached the finish in sixth place, while Charles Leclerc was forced to retire after going off at the Parabolica, leaving Ferrari with a deeply disappointing result in front of the tifosi.
Lewis Hamilton says Charles Leclerc move was ‘damaging’ for Ferrari
Although Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc shared the track for only a short period, they were involved in one of the most controversial moments of Ferrari’s race. Hamilton made a strong start and attacked Charles Leclerc at the first chicane, where the Monegasque was running third behind George Russell and Pierre Gasly.
After Turn 1, with Lewis Hamilton ahead, Charles Leclerc ran wider through the next part of the chicane and forced his team-mate off the circuit and into the gravel. Hamilton dropped four positions, falling from fourth to eighth, and was immediately left facing a recovery drive on a circuit that was not particularly well suited to the characteristics of the SF-26.
Charles Leclerc later gave his assessment of the incident: “Here, though, it’s true that we went beyond [the limit]. I think with Lewis at Turn 1, then at Turn 2 I tried to take the corner as tightly as possible, but it simply wasn’t enough, and doing that here isn’t good.”
Lewis Hamilton’s response was measured in tone but unequivocal. “What happened was really damaging for the team and put me further back. I was ahead at Turn 2 to all intents and purposes. I was ahead. There was no ‘we’ in that corner.”
The disagreement over the incident added another layer to a difficult home race for Ferrari, with Fred Vasseur also addressing the clash between his two drivers after the Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton ‘disappointed and devastated’ after Ferrari’s home race
Hamilton managed to recover during the race, but sixth place was ultimately the maximum he could achieve. His frustration was not limited to the result itself. The British driver also thought about the Ferrari supporters at Monza and the staff at Maranello who had worked extensively to improve the SF-26.
“We’re very grateful for the fans who came here, but I’m disappointed and devastated for everyone who was here, for everyone who works at the factory, because they’ve worked incredibly hard to bring the upgrades,” Lewis Hamilton said.
Ferrari had arrived at its home Grand Prix after significant work on the car, including a series of SF-26 changes aimed at improving efficiency at Monza.
“Today they’ll be devastated, and all these emotions affected us negatively over the weekend. I’m happy for Kimi that he won, but for us it was a bad race.”
Asked to explain what had gone wrong across the weekend, Lewis Hamilton offered an equally direct assessment: “I don’t know what to say about what didn’t work this weekend. You all saw where we finished and it seems pretty obvious to me.”
His comments followed an earlier admission that he was devastated by Ferrari’s P6 result and the costly opening-lap fight, which had forced him to spend much of the race recovering lost ground.
Lewis Hamilton concedes F1 title hopes are fading
Hamilton was just as clear when discussing the championship and Ferrari’s chances of recovering against Mercedes. In his view, the gap is now too large, not only in outright performance but also in points: “We’re too far away now, it’s too late to think about the title. I lost a lot of points today to the Mercedes drivers and they’re ahead.”
Despite that assessment, Lewis Hamilton insisted Ferrari would continue pushing through the remainder of the campaign rather than giving up on improving its position: “We’ll give everything to keep pushing for the rest of the season, but they were simply too fast today.”
For the British driver, Monza therefore delivered frustration on several fronts: an early clash with his Ferrari team-mate, another difficult result despite a recovery drive, and a championship deficit he now believes has become too large to overcome.
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