Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur acknowledged that the opening-lap clash between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix was “not good for the team” following a disappointing weekend for the Scuderia at Monza.
First-lap incident drops Hamilton to tenth
Leclerc defended aggressively against his teammate on lap one after both Ferraris started from the second row. The Monegasque driver refused to yield, pushing Hamilton wide at the exit of Turn 2 and forcing the seven-time champion into the gravel. Hamilton plummeted to 10th place as a result.
Vasseur: ‘Outcome of Turn 1-2 is not good for the team’
Addressing the media on Sunday night, Vasseur kept his initial remarks brief.
“I spoke to Lewis for two seconds and not at all with Charles,” Vasseur said when asked about the incident during his media session on Sunday night. “We’ll have time to discuss that. I prefer to discuss with them first and not with you. For sure, the outcome of Turn 1-2 is not good for the team, if it’s the question.”
Team orders debate: too early before Monza
Ferrari has resisted imposing team orders this season despite external pressure to support Hamilton, who has been the quicker Ferrari driver relative to the Mercedes pair. Vasseur maintained that such a move would have been premature before the Italian round, though he signaled the stance could shift.
“Now, to see if we [need to] have a team order or whatever, I think that the good comparison that I made was that last year,” he said. “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 I will have time to discuss with the guys.
“For a team, it’s never good to lose points. This is clear. Now, basically at the beginning of the season, I think every single team principal in the world would love to let them race. To freeze positions when you are the team principal, don’t imagine that it’s an easy choice. You do it for the team, you do it for the results at the end, but it’s never an easy call.
“By definition, I would love to let them race all the weekend. Now, by reason, you have to take a decision at one stage. Each team is different. We will have to take a decision when we’ll decide.”
Drivers offer contrasting views on the clash
Leclerc, who later retired after crashing at the Parabolica, admitted the incident went too far. “we went too far”, he said.
Hamilton rejected the collective framing when Leclerc’s comment was put to him.
“I was ahead in Turn 2, by the apex, I was ahead. There was no we in it.”
Championship implications
Following Kimi Antonelli’s victory at Monza, Hamilton now trails the Italian driver by 76 points in the drivers’ championship. In the constructors’ standings, Ferrari sits 122 points behind Mercedes.
