Ferrari, a heart-stopping first corner
Lewis Hamilton at the start of the Italian Grand Prix tried to find a way inside Charles Leclerc, but the two came to a rather muscular body-to-body exiting the first corner.
If the Englishman had left space on entry to his teammate, the Monegasque did not do the same a few meters later. And so Hamilton found himself in the gravel and even dropped from a potential third to eleventh place.
The Englishman protested over the radio to the team: “Charles pushed me out!“, while Leclerc’s race ended a lap later with the disastrous crash at Parabolica.
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Leclerc’s version
Leclerc then explained: “Honestly there were already too many discussions on this topic at Zandvoort. It’s true that we went too far here. I think with Lewis at the first corner and then the second, I tried to take the tightest line possible. But it simply wasn’t enough. And doing this, on this track, is not a good thing.”
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Charles Leclerc then hinted that he noticed something strange on his Ferrari SF-26: “Between the first and second lap I think there was a difference in power delivery. We will examine the matter, but I don’t want to comment too much before checking the data and having 100% confirmation. I can’t change the result, I have to look ahead and I hope to redeem myself in Madrid.”
Read more Leclerc ‘parks’ Hamilton in the gravel at the First Corner at the start: “He pushed me out”