Lewis Hamilton has called on Ferrari “to change things” in the way it handles the intra-team battle between the seven-time world champion and Charles Leclerc following last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
The tifosi had high hopes of achieving a good result in Sunday’s 53-lap race at Monzawith Leclerc and hamilton occupying the second row of the grid.
But the race quickly unraveled when Hamilton fell to the outside of the top 10 after encountering gravel at the exit of the first chicane after having gone alongside Leclerc, who in turn crashed heavily at the end of the second lap.
Hamilton was finally able to save sixth position at the end of the race, but described the result as “devastating” and “hard to swallow” having failed to capitalize on a solid initial position.
“Look, I don’t run dirty. I’ve always run clean and fair and I’ve always left gaps, so I don’t think they should worry about me,” Hamilton said when asked to give his opinion on the first-corner incident with Leclerc.
“I mean, I came to the team and tried to be respectful of the space and definitely not put the team in danger. I stand by it and that’s all I can talk about on my side.
“You have to talk to Fred [Vasseur, Team Principal] about the other side and the decisions that are made there, but I will continue to push and try to get more out of the team and our car and the engineers and the design and all that.
Hamilton’s improved form during his second season with ferrariwhich includes a first Grand Prix victory with the Scuderia in Barcelona and four more podiums, has at times put him in direct competition with Leclerc.
The pair fought fiercely in China, while Hamilton became angry on the radio in the Netherlands when Leclerc stopped the Briton following a different strategy that potentially cost him the chance of a podium finish.
Hamilton went on to explain that he believes Ferrari needs to change its approach to the way it competes, with Mercedes in particular managing team orders among its drivers despite Kimi Antonelli and George Russell battling for the drivers’ title.
“Ultimately, everything comes from the top,” Hamilton added. “Decisions percolate, and that’s why it starts with Fred. There’s a lot you can say, a lot you can push and shout from the top of the mountain.
“Yesterday I said that we have to analyze how we communicate, because if we continue down the same path, we get the same result. And it’s like we keep getting the same result.
“We have to change things, because this is not helping us move forward. I think they were receptive and we will pull the plug… probably not for next week, but particularly after the next race to try to see how we can do things differently procedurally so that the same thing doesn’t keep happening.”