Lewis Hamilton has been warned that his in-fighting with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari “is not good for the team”.
Hamilton and Leclerc clashed at the opening corner of Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, with the former accusing his team-mate of pushing him off the track.
The first-lap incident at Ferrari’s home event escaped any punishment from the stewards. But Hamilton said that the Ferrari fans “should not be worried about me” following Leclerc’s claim that both drivers were at fault for the flashpoint which cost Hamilton six positions.
“There was no ‘we’ in it,” said Hamilton as he laid the blame at Leclerc’s door. “I don’t race dirty, I’ve always raced clean and fairly and always left space.”
The 41-year-old also called for a “written rules of engagement”.
Hamilton’s former rival, the 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, although conceding that the British driver was “aggressive”, felt that the clash was “100 per cent Charles’ fault”.
Leclerc crashed out on the next lap while Hamilton finished only sixth to leave his hopes of catching Kimi Antonelli and claiming a record eighth world championship all but over.
And after overseeing a torrid result for Ferrari, team principal Fred Vasseur said: “We will have time to discuss it (with the drivers). But the outcome of Turn 1-2 is not good for the team.”
Hamilton is now 76 points adrift of Antonelli – the equivalent of more than three wins – with just 10 scheduled rounds remaining.
But Vasseur also defended his decision not to hand Hamilton priority over Leclerc in the fight for the title.
Hamilton held a 28-point lead over Leclerc in the standings prior to Monza, and is 36 clear of the Monegasque heading into this weekend’s inaugural round in Madrid.
In the aftermath of Sunday’s race, Hamilton said it is now “far too late” for Ferrari to throw their weight behind him.
But Vasseur continued: “A good comparison that I made was that last year (Oscar) Piastri was leading the championship at this stage of the season and if McLaren put everything on Piastri (instead of team-mate Lando Norris), Max Verstappen would have been champion.
“At one stage you have to take a decision, but it was too early to take a decision before Monza. Every single team principal in the world would love to let them race. To freeze positions is not an easy call. Now I will have time to discuss it with the drivers.”
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