Ferrari against each other
Both in China and in Japan the two Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc gave life to an exciting challenge on track. If in Shanghai after several exchanges of position the Englishman had prevailed, in Suzuka it was the Monegasque who came out on top, with a brave overtake on the outside of Turn 1. The two SF-26s came close to touching, but fortunately both managed to finish the race, with Leclerc third and Hamilton then sixth – unable to defend himself even from the attacks of Russell and Norris due to a power problem on his car.
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Leclerc’s scare with Hamilton
Once he got out of his Ferrari and headed to the cool-down room, Charles Leclerc admitted – while watching the race summary – that he experienced a rather frantic moment during the maneuver on Hamilton: “We touched! I thought I had a puncture“, the Ferrari driver confessed with sincerity.
In that phase of the race, Hamilton and Leclerc were fighting for third place and the maneuver on the outside of Turn 1 on the 42° lap gave the Monegasque some breathing room, who then managed to resist the comeback of a charging George Russell and secure his second podium of the season.
In China, the two Ferrari drivers had fought for ten laps, with Hamilton managing to get the upper hand and thus obtain his first podium finish since racing for Ferrari.
No team orders from the pit wall this time either, despite Leclerc highlighting over the radio how he was losing time following his teammate.
