Ferrari bosses must step in after Lewis Hamilton-Charles Leclerc Monza clash, says former driver

Setembro 8, 2026 lojamais44@gmail.com

Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya believes Ferrari’s senior management must step in and establish clear driver boundaries following a difficult Italian Grand Prix that involved a clash between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc on the opening lap.

The Maranello outfit endured a miserable home race at Monza in round 13 of the 2026 championship, watching Mercedes secure a 1-2 finish led by Kimi Antonelli’s impressive charge from 19th on the grid.

Ferrari’s afternoon unravelled almost immediately when Hamilton dived down the inside of Leclerc into Turn 1 and then went around the outside of Turn 2. While Leclerc held his line, the seven-time champion went into the gravel and dropped down to 10th.

Matters escalated on the second lap when Leclerc, having been defending against McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, ran wide onto the kerb exiting Parabolica. He lost control and crashed into the barriers. Hamilton went on to finish sixth.

Speaking to F1 TV after the race, Hamilton, who currently sits third in the drivers’ championship, admitted the outcome was a “tough one to swallow”. While analysing Ferrari’s race during the broadcast, Montoya argued that team principal Fred Vasseur and senior management must sit down with both drivers ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

“They need to go to not only Fred but above Fred and sit them down. Both of them need to go to Maranello this week, and they need to sit down and have a proper talk because, in my opinion, Charles came out and said, ‘I raced Lewis like I would have raced anybody else,'” Montoya explained.

“But it’s your team-mate, and you’ve got to respect your team-mate, and you’ve got to respect the team.”

The results meant that Hamilton slipped to 10 points behind second-placed George Russell in the drivers’ standings and 76 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Leclerc currently sits fifth with 155 points, 112 points behind Antonelli.