Lewis Hamilton has called on Ferrari to establish clear "rules of engagement" between teammates after an on-track incident with Charles Leclerc at the Italian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion expressed frustration, stating that Leclerc pushed him off track during the opening lap of the race held at the Italian team's home circuit.
Hamilton finished the race in sixth place, with Leclerc crashing out following the first-chicane altercation. Leclerc was taken to the medical center, where he was cleared as "OK." Hamilton, in a radio message to team principal Fred Vasseur, stated, "Here there are no rules. And that's something that needs to change. When I was at Mercedes we had written rules of engagement. And we never had it too bad."
"I don't race dirty," Hamilton asserted. "I've always raced clean, and fairly, and always left space. So I don't think they should be worried about me. I've come into the team and tried to be respectful of space. And definitely not to put the team in jeopardy. And I stand by that."
The incident occurred at the home Grand Prix for the Italian team, which ended in what Hamilton described as "embarrassment and acrimony." While Hamilton managed to reach third place at various points in the race, he ultimately dropped back on fading tires. The focus of his post-race comments, however, was on driver management and team directives rather than strategy.
The race was won by Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton acknowledged the performance gap to the leader, stating, "With the pace Mercedes have, it's a very difficult amount to close." He added that while the team is working hard, "it isn't good enough. We'll go back to the drawing table."
The next race on the calendar is the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid, scheduled for the following Sunday.