Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have successfully cleared the air following their contentious clash at the Italian Grand Prix, opting for a direct discussion over formal written rules to maintain their strong relationship.
Key Points
- Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton held a face-to-face discussion to resolve their on-track incident at the Italian Grand Prix.
- Hamilton had called for written rules after being forced off track by Leclerc, but no formal rules have been put in writing.
- Both drivers affirmed that the incident has not affected their good relationship and they are ready to move forward.
- Leclerc admitted he went 'too far' after reviewing footage of the Monza incident where he later crashed out.
Charles Leclerc and Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton said they had cleared the air face-to-face after a clash at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix but there were still no written rules of engagement between the pair.
Seven-times Formula One World champion Hamilton had called for written rules after being forced off onto the gravel by Leclerc on the opening lap and dropping from fourth to 10th. The Briton eventually finished sixth while Leclerc crashed out.
Post-Race Discussions And Resolution
Asked at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday whether anything had been put in writing, Hamilton replied, "There was not.
"I'm sure at some stage we'll discuss how we can be better but we've not had a lot of time to turn around. You can't change things in two days."
Hamilton said there had been no shying away between the two drivers when they came to discuss what had happened.
"We sat face to face, just him and I, and talked about it," he said.
"We were just both open and honest and we squashed it. And we can move on... I think it's healthy. It's a relationship we have built over time."
"Of course there's going to be frustrations... I'm sure there will be more times (where) we are close (on track) because we are very close on pace. We both want to win just as much as each other and we both want to do well for the team as well."
Leclerc's Perspective
Ferrari are second in the championship after 13 rounds, 122 points behind Mercedes. Hamilton is third overall, 76 points behind Mercedes' leader Kimi Antonelli.
Leclerc told reporters he had reviewed footage after the race and recognised he had gone too far.
"I said it to Lewis and I think it's very clear what we should do or should avoid going forward but I won't go into much more details of what we've said," added the Monegasque.
"The only thing I can say is it definitely did not affect the good relationship that we have and it will not affect anything going forward and that is the most important for me really."
Leclerc said his crash at Monza at the end of the second lap had felt like a big one and he had suffered a tight neck for a couple of days after but is now fine.
