Leclerc rejects Ferrari rivalry narrative after Monza clash with Hamilton

Leclerc dismisses claims of Ferrari division

Charles Leclerc has rejected suggestions that he and Lewis Hamilton are not working together, despite a disastrous opening to Ferrari’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Talk of tension between the Ferrari drivers had already emerged in Zandvoort. At Monza, both started from the second row, but their race unravelled at the first two corners before Leclerc later crashed out.

Asked about the idea that the pair were working against each other, Leclerc said he did not know who was driving the narrative. He acknowledged, however, that the two Ferrari cars had gone too far in their opening-lap fight.

“Yeah, I don’t really know who is forcing that narrative that we are one against the other,” Leclerc told media. “I mean, honestly, Zandvoort, there were way too many talks already. Here, it’s true, though, that we went too far.”

A costly opening-lap exchange

Hamilton made the first decisive move, choosing an aggressive line down the inside of Leclerc at Turn 1. Leclerc was forced to take a different trajectory into Turn 2, leaving Hamilton with nowhere to go but the gravel on corner exit.

The incident dropped Hamilton from fourth to 10th, and the seven-time world champion immediately voiced his frustration over the team radio. Ferrari’s problems then escalated when Leclerc lost control of his SF-26 on the exit of Parabolica at the end of the second lap.

The crash ended Leclerc’s race and caused enough damage to require barrier repairs, while his destroyed Ferrari also had to be retrieved. The result turned what had been a strong grid position for both drivers into an early double setback for the Scuderia.

Leclerc accepted that the sequence was not suitable for Ferrari’s home race, but he did not frame it as evidence of a deeper split between the teammates.

“I think Lewis in Turn 1, then Turn 2, I tried to do the tightest corner possible, but that was just not enough. And doing it here is not good,” he said.

The comments arrive after Hamilton called for Ferrari rules of engagement to change following the Monza clash, adding another layer to the post-race discussion. For Leclerc, though, the message was clear: the incident was an error in execution, not proof that Ferrari’s drivers are operating as rivals within the same team.