Lewis Hamilton reveals clear-the-air talks with Leclerc after Monza controversy as Ferrari refuse to bow to demand

LEWIS HAMILTON says there are no rules of engagement at Ferrari — after civil war erupted at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend. The seven-time world champion went wheel-to-wheel with team-mate Charles Leclerc in the opening lap in Monza and was unable to recover, resulting in a sixth-place finish. Lewis Hamilton has cleared the air with Charles Leclerc Credit: Getty They went wheel-to-wheel at Monza Credit: Shutterstock Editorial British star Hamilton, 41, then threw in the towel and that left him 76 points behind the leader, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, in the race for the title. Leclerc took the blame for the collision saying he “went too far”. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! But Hamilton has revealed the pair have had an open conversation about the controversial incident. Ahead of Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix near Madrid, Hamilton said: “What’s great is that there was no shying away from having a discussion. “We sat face-to-face, just him and I, and talked about it and we were just both open and honest. “We squashed it and we can move on. “That one shows maturity from him. It’s healthy. It’s a relationship we have built over time. “There’s going to be frustrations and there’s going to be times where we’re close because we’re very close in pace. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS F1 2026 RACE CALENDAR: ALL THE INFO YOU NEED “We both want to win just as much as each other and we both want to do well for the team as well. It’s a real positive.” Leclerc, 28, had a disastrous afternoon in Italy following a huge shunt on the second lap which forced him to retire from the race. Asked about the incident with Hamilton, the Monegasque driver said: “On the rules of engagement, it’s clear we never want to see a car of the same team in the grass. “After reviewing, we spoke with Lewis and I obviously know I went too far in Turn Two. But it definitely did not affect the good relationship we have and going forward. “When these things happen at our home race, it looks like a huge mess from the outside. “There’s been friction between other team-mates and the only thing people end up speaking of is Lewis and I — which I don’t think is quite right.” The race in Italy not only saw Hamilton’s hopes of an eighth world title suffer a major blow. But he is now ten points behind second-placed George Russell in the driver standings after Mercedes sealed a one-two in Monza. The question on many people’s lips is whether Ferrari will decide to prioritise Hamilton over Leclerc, given the Brit currently has a 36-point advantage over him in the standings with his team-mate down in fifth. But Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur has already said it is too early in the season to prioritise one driver over the other with ten races remaining. Comment now