Fred Vasseur has admitted the incident between the Ferrari drivers on the opening lap of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix was “not good for the team” after a disappointing weekend for the Scuderia.
Charles Leclerc defended aggressively on the first lap against Lewis Hamilton, who attempted to pass his team-mate after both started from the second row of the grid. The Monegasque refused to concede the position, pushing Hamilton wide at the exit of Turn 2 and forcing him into the gravel, which resulted in Hamilton dropping to 10th.
“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.”
Ferrari has been reluctant to prevent its drivers from battling each other this year – despite some calls from observers for the team to back Hamilton in the championship fight, given he has been the closest Ferrari driver to the Mercedes pair. Vasseur believes such a decision would have been premature, and therefore the policy hadn’t changed before Monza.
He did, however, hint that such a call could come at some point.
“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.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
“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.”
Leclerc, who retired from the race early after crashing at the Parabolica, admitted afterwards that the first-lap incident was not exactly what the team needed, saying “we went too far”.
When those words were put to Hamilton after the race, he responded: “I was ahead in Turn 2, by the apex, I was ahead. There was no we in it.”
Following Kimi Antonelli’s victory at Monza, Hamilton is now 76 points behind the Italian in the championship. Ferrari trails Mercedes by 122 points in the constructors’ standings.
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