Ferrari’s home race at Monza turned into a PR nightmare when Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton went wheel-to-wheel on the opening lap. In the aftermath, Leclerc has found himself defending his approach to teamwork with his teammate, pushing back against critics while admitting there's some truth to the backlash. 

The whole debacle began on Lap 1 of the Italian Grand Prix held on September 6th, during which Hamilton attacked Leclerc heading into Turn 1 of the track, only to be pushed wide onto the gravel. This sent the seven-time world champion tumbling down from fourth to tenth. 

This forced Hamilton to do a recovery drive. Ferrari's misery didn't end there, with Leclerc crashing out of the race entirely at the Parabolica corner just a lap later, triggering a red flag and a 30-minute stoppage. During his appearance in the media pen, the Monegasque driver was questioned about him and Hamilton not working together. 

"Yeah, I don't really know who is forcing that narrative that we are one against the other. " Leclerc answered as per the reports put out by Racing News 365. 

The No. 16 driver also spoke about a similar incident during the Dutch Grand Prix, when he defied team orders and delayed his pit stop despite Hamilton running right behind him, sparking speculation about discord between the two drivers. 

"I mean, honestly, Zandvoort, there were way too many talks already. Here, it's true, though, that we went too far." Leclerc admitted to the media

Leclerc also broke down his side of the incident itself, explaining the racing lines that led to the clash. 

"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." 

However, Charles Leclerc wasn't the only one with an opinion about the incident. 

Lewis Hamilton gives his take on the incident at Monza 

While  Charles Leclerc was ready to shoulder some of the blame, Hamilton made it clear he saw the incident in a completely different light. 

When he was informed by the media that Leclerc believed both drivers had got it wrong on Lap 1, Hamilton flatly rejected the idea. 

"I was ahead in Turn 2. By the apex, I was ahead. There was no ‘we’ in it,” Hamilton told the media, as reported by Planet F1. 

Hamilton had previously urged the team to "work as a team" for the sake of the Drivers' Championship, given he currently stands ahead of Leclerc in the standings. 

With just a handful of races left in the season, it remains to be seen whether Ferrari can get its two drivers pulling in the same direction. 

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco