Lewis Hamilton has leveled criticism at Ferrari, claiming the Italian team operates without clear "rules of engagement" after a dramatic incident with his teammate Charles Leclerc during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The controversy began when Hamilton attempted an aggressive inside move into the first corner, only to be forced onto the gravel on the exit of the chicane as Leclerc defended the inside line. The resulting contact sent Hamilton tumbling from his fourth-place grid slot to tenth, and he spent the remainder of the race fighting back to finish sixth.
Leclerc, who had initially held onto third place after the clash, suffered a separate crash on lap two, ending his race prematurely and leaving Ferrari with a disappointing showing on home soil. In a post‑race interview, Hamilton lamented the lack of a defined protocol within the team. "I think it comes down to rules of engagement," he said, noting that during his tenure at Mercedes there were explicit guidelines governing on‑track battles between teammates.
"When I was at Mercedes, we had written rules of engagement. We never really, really had it too bad.
There was a moment between me and Nico [Rosberg] a couple of times, but more often not, it was good. Here, there are no rules. We need to address that." Hamilton, who is set to join Ferrari in 2025, emphasized that the absence of a clear internal policy contributed to the chaotic opening lap. Former world champion Nico Rosberg, now a pundit for Sky Sports F1, weighed in on the incident, siding with Hamilton.
Rosberg explained the established principle that when the driver on the outside is ahead at the apex or during turn‑in, the driver on the inside must give room. "Lewis was ahead going in, so Charles has to leave room. And he didn't, so it was 100 per cent Charles' fault, and that's it," he asserted. However, fellow Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle offered a contrasting view.
Brundle argued that Hamilton's own aggression into Turn 1 and Leclerc's position at the apex of Turn 2 mitigated any clear-cut blame. "Leclerc was far enough ahead on the inside of the corner there. I don't think he would have taken a penalty," Brundle said. "Lewis dived down the inside of him into the first apex, fair enough, that's motor racing.
Leclerc, I think at the apex, was far enough ahead, and on the inside by the way, which is another key element. Leclerc just understeers wide. He turns the wheel and the car didn't bite, and that's very normal on the first lap. I don't believe he would have been penalised." The race itself saw championship leader Kimi Antonelli climb from 19th on the grid to claim a stunning victory, extending his lead over Hamilton to 76 points.
Antonelli's win also pushed George Russell further ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who fell ten points behind the Mercedes driver as the British team secured a one‑two finish. The outcome reignited speculation in the media about whether Ferrari should prioritize Hamilton over Leclerc, given the British driver’s larger points deficit.
When asked if Hamilton should receive preferential treatment, Hamilton replied, "We are too far past that already. It's too late for that now. I lost a lot of points today to those guys.
We will do our best to keep pushing the rest of the season but they are out now, out ahead of us." Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur cautioned against premature team orders, pointing to last year’s McLaren experience as a cautionary tale. He recalled how Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris early in the season before both were overtaken by Max Verstappen, illustrating the danger of focusing on a single driver too early.
"For sure, the outcome of the first corners is not good for the team," Vasseur said. "Now, to see if we have a team order or whatever, I think that the good comparison that I made was that last year, Piastri was leading McLaren at this stage of the season and if McLaren put everything on Piastri, Max Verstappen would have been champion. For sure, at one stage you have to take a decision but I think it was too early to take a decision before Monza. Now we have time to discuss with the guys." Leclerc, reflecting on the early battle, admitted that both drivers had taken the fight too far but questioned who was fueling the narrative of internal rivalry.
He referenced the previous Grand Prix at Zandvoort, where Hamilton expressed frustration after being held up by Leclerc on different strategies. "I don't really know who is forcing that narrative that we are one against the other," Leclerc said. "I mean, honestly, Zandvoort, there was way too many talks already.
Here, it's true though that we went too far. 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." Hamilton also voiced disappointment with Ferrari’s strategic choices during the race. He criticized the tyre selection after an early red flag and the decision not to pit him under a virtual safety car, which he felt left him without the necessary rubber to fight back. "It's one of the harder ones to swallow today," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
"I was definitely hoping for more. I gave it absolutely everything.
We just didn't have the speed on the straights and we were mostly a sitting duck to the guys around me. We will look internally and try and figure out what we could have done better. I felt we should have been on the hard tyre [on the restart] but we also would have had to overtake people, because we were further back than we were supposed to be. I thought they were going to stop us [under the VSC] but they didn't stop us, so I ran out of tyres." Vasseur explained that Ferrari’s lack of straight‑line speed made additional pit stops a risky proposition, especially when rivals like Antonelli and Verstappen were able to execute extra stops without losing ground.
"We were 10 seconds behind Max before the VSC and we finished 10 seconds behind," Vasseur told Sky Sports F1. "If you do this [pit], you have to overtake and overtaking is not our favourite topic. It would have been more difficult." Looking ahead, the Formula 1 calendar moves to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix at the brand‑new Madring circuit, with all sessions set to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 from Friday onward. Fans can stream the coverage via NOW, with flexible contracts and the option to cancel at any time.