Hamilton Says Ferrari Team-Order Decision Comes Too Late After Monza Setback

Lewis Hamilton says it is now too late for Ferrari to make him the priority over teammate Charles Leclerc in the Formula 1 championship fight. BBC Sport reported that the seven-time world champion made the assessment after a difficult Italian Grand Prix in which he started fourth, finished sixth and lost further ground to Mercedes.

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Hamilton's race was disrupted on the opening lap as the two Ferraris fought through the first chicane. The BBC reported that Leclerc pushed Hamilton onto the grass at the exit, dropping the British driver to 10th place. Leclerc then crashed at high speed at Parabolica on the second lap, bringing out a red flag and leaving Hamilton as Ferrari's only remaining chance of a podium.

After the restart, Hamilton could not return to the contest at the front. Mercedes secured a one-two finish, led by Kimi Antonelli, while Hamilton ended the weekend 10 points behind second-placed George Russell and 76 behind Antonelli. He remains third in the drivers' standings and is 36 points ahead of Leclerc, but described a Ferrari priority decision at this stage as “far too late.”

The Monza result followed another strategy disagreement at the Dutch Grand Prix. Hamilton believed Ferrari waited too long to move Leclerc aside at Zandvoort while the two drivers were using different strategies and Hamilton had fresher tyres. He criticised the delay over team radio before later apologising for those comments. At Monza, he said the team needed to examine its communication and change its approach if it wanted different results.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur called the first-lap incident between his drivers unacceptable but said managing tension between teammates was not unique to Ferrari. Vasseur maintained that it had been too early to impose team orders before the Italian race. He added that the team now had time to discuss the issue with both drivers before deciding how to handle the championship situation.

Leclerc said the cars had been extremely close at the first corner and that he was unsure whether they touched. Hamilton defended his own conduct, saying he races cleanly and leaves space. Ferrari confirmed Leclerc was okay after medical checks following his crash. The Monegasque driver expected to undergo additional checks but said he anticipated being fit for the next race, the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.