The Italian Grand Prix at Monza was supposed to be Ferrari's crowning moment on home soil. But from the opening lap, that dream crumbled when Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton—two drivers who should have been working together—nearly collided at the first chicane. The incident sparked a fierce debate among Sky Sports F1 analysts and set the tone for a dismal afternoon for the Maranello squad.
Hamilton, starting just behind Leclerc on the second row, made an aggressive lunge down the inside under braking for the first corner. Leclerc held his ground, but as the corner switched direction to the left, their positions reversed: what was the outside line became the inside. Hamilton was squeezed onto the gravel and dropped to eighth place before rejoining.
On team radio, Hamilton immediately reported, "Charles pushed me off." However, race stewards decided not to investigate the incident, a decision that sparked heated discussion in the paddock.
Leclerc, who later retired two laps after at Parabolica, denied any personal rivalry with his teammate. "I don't really know who is forcing that narrative that we are one against the other," he said. "Honestly, on the radio there were way too many talks already." Still, he admitted the move had gone too far. "It's true though that we went too far. I think Lewis won that first corner. Then turn two I tried to do the tightest line possible, but that was just not enough. Doing it there is not good."
Sky Sports pundits were divided. Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, placed the blame squarely on Leclerc. According to him, the rules are clear: if the driver on the outside—in this case Hamilton—is ahead at the apex, then the inside driver must leave room. "Lewis was ahead going in, so Charles has to leave room, and he didn't. So it's 100 per cent Charles' fault," Rosberg asserted.
Martin Brundle saw it differently. He felt Leclerc was far enough ahead on the inside, and his front tyres may not have been up to temperature in the early stages, causing the Ferrari to run wide regardless of who technically had the racing line. "If Charles had more command over his front tyres, you can say he should have left his teammate more room. I suspect he was pretty underwhelmed with what happened on the way into the first corner," Brundle said.
Despite their disagreement on who was at fault, both agreed that Hamilton's initial move was aggressive. "Lewis was too aggressive," Rosberg conceded, a view Brundle shared. This incident serves as a critical reminder for Ferrari, who must quickly improve communication between their drivers if they are to compete for the rest of the season.
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