Lewis Hamilton has moved to reassure Ferrari supporters about his relationship with Charles Leclerc after their contact at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix, insisting that fans have no reason to worry about the way he races his team-mate. Tension between the two Ferrari drivers appeared to reach a new level at Monza after an opening-lap incident contributed to a difficult afternoon for the Scuderia.
In front of packed grandstands at Ferrari’s home race, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc found themselves at the centre of attention and were repeatedly questioned about their relationship. Their battle on track, combined with events at the previous Dutch Grand Prix, inevitably increased scrutiny over how Ferrari intends to manage two highly competitive drivers.
Lewis Hamilton addresses Ferrari tension after Charles Leclerc Monza contact
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton started third and fourth respectively on the grid at Monza, placing both Ferraris in a strong position for the opening phase of the race. However, the two came into contact at the first chicane on the opening lap.
A slight touch sent Lewis Hamilton into the gravel, dropping the seven-time world champion as far as tenth place and immediately triggering a wider debate over which Ferrari driver was responsible for the incident.
The episode added another chapter to an already intense period for the team following the expectations surrounding Ferrari’s Italian Grand Prix package. Monza had been a major target for the Scuderia, both because of its significance as the team’s home race and because of the technical developments prepared for the high-speed circuit.
Charles Leclerc’s weekend then ended dramatically when the Monegasque driver suffered a 50g accident at Parabolica. Lewis Hamilton continued to the finish but could manage only sixth place, a result that also drew attention to Ferrari’s decision not to change his tyres during the Virtual Safety Car period despite the British driver having reported deterioration in his Pirelli tyres for several laps.
Lewis Hamilton tells Tifosi they should not worry
Asked whether Ferrari supporters should be concerned about the way he and Charles Leclerc are racing each other, particularly after Lewis Hamilton’s complaints about not receiving preferential treatment at the previous Dutch Grand Prix, the 41-year-old made his position clear.
“I don’t race unfairly. I have always raced cleanly and fairly, always leaving space, so I don’t think they need to worry about me,” Lewis Hamilton told the media.
“I joined the team trying to respect the space and absolutely not put the team at risk, and I stand by that approach. That’s all I can say from my side.”
The British driver then indicated that questions about Ferrari’s wider decisions should be directed towards team principal Fred Vasseur.
“As for the other side and the decisions we could have made, you have to speak to Fred, but I will continue to give everything and try to get more from the team, from our car and from the engineers in the design and everything else,” Lewis Hamilton added.
His comments underline the delicate balance Ferrari must manage between allowing both drivers to compete and avoiding situations that could damage the team’s results. With the relationship between the two drivers increasingly scrutinised, the emphasis is now on ensuring that internal competition does not create further sporting consequences.
Mercedes power advantage leaves Ferrari exposed at Monza
Beyond the contact with Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton ultimately found himself unable to match the performance of the Mercedes-powered cars ahead. Four of the five cars that finished in front of the Ferrari were equipped with Mercedes power units.
The only exception among the top five was Max Verstappen. The Red Bull driver finished behind the Mercedes one-two led by Kimi Antonelli, while McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished fourth and fifth respectively.
The result reflected the technical challenge Ferrari had anticipated at Monza. The team had introduced its latest power-unit developments for the Italian Grand Prix, with the ADUO-2 turbo upgrade forming an important part of the Monza programme, but the SF-26 still faced a difficult comparison against Mercedes machinery on the straights.
Ferrari’s latest engine evolution had never been solely about adding horsepower. The interaction between electrical energy deployment, efficiency and overall car performance remained crucial, as explored in the technical background to the SF-26 power-unit upgrade.
Pierre Gasly, who had surprisingly secured pole position for Alpine, finished seventh and crossed the line only three seconds behind Lewis Hamilton. Taking into account the possibility of a tyre stop under the Virtual Safety Car, sixth therefore appeared to represent the maximum realistic result available to the Ferrari driver in the circumstances.
Lewis Hamilton calls Ferrari contact ‘very negative for the team’
Reflecting on what happened between himself and Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton described the incident as “very negative for the team” because of the number of positions it cost Ferrari at the beginning of the race.
“Obviously, that made us lose a lot of positions. So I tried to reset, and I was fighting, I was doing well. The grip was good and, generally, the car was behaving well in the corners,” Lewis Hamilton explained.
His assessment of the SF-26 was therefore not entirely negative. In the corners, the seven-time world champion felt the car was working reasonably well, but the picture changed dramatically once Ferrari reached Monza’s long straights.
“On the straight, though, they were just passing us relentlessly. We knew they were quick on the straight, but it was really staggering to see how fast they were: the Mercedes power. That car just keeps pushing, pushing, pushing.”
Those comments highlight why Monza was such a demanding test for Ferrari. The circuit’s long full-throttle sections placed particular emphasis on power-unit performance and energy management, even after the Scuderia had targeted a significant performance step for its home Grand Prix.
Ferrari now has two problems to manage after Monza
The Italian Grand Prix therefore left Ferrari with two separate areas of concern. The first concerns the relationship and racing boundaries between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after their opening-lap contact. Lewis Hamilton has attempted to calm fears on that front by stressing that his approach remains clean, fair and focused on protecting the interests of the team.
The second issue is more technical. Despite Lewis Hamilton reporting encouraging behaviour from the SF-26 through the corners, Ferrari was unable to prevent Mercedes-powered cars from exploiting a substantial straight-line advantage. That limitation played a major role in preventing the British driver from recovering further after the opening-lap setback.
For Ferrari, the priority now will be to ensure that the internal battle between its two drivers does not become another obstacle while the engineers continue searching for more performance from the SF-26. Lewis Hamilton’s message to the Tifosi is that, from his side, there is no intention to cross the line. The challenge for the Scuderia is making sure that competitive tension and technical limitations do not combine to cost it more points in the races ahead.
