F1 Monza Grand Prix, Hamilton-Leclerc Clash: “He pushed me off.” Then Charles crashes into the wall

A shocking start for Ferrari in the Italian Grand Prix: there was immediate tension between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton on the first lap of the race at the Monza Circuit. The two Ferrari drivers, who started from fourth and fifth place respectively, made contact after just a few meters, and controversy is already raging on social media.

At the start, Leclerc and Hamilton were wheel-to-wheel and made contact: the Monegasque driver held his position, while the British driver was forced to ease off the throttle, hit the gravel, and lost several positions, slipping to eighth place. The seven-time world champion immediately complained over team radio: “Charles pushed me off.”

Then, on the third lap, came the big scare: Leclerc lost control of his car coming out of the Parabolica and crashed violently into the barriers. The Monegasque driver emerged unharmed, but his race was over; the safety car came out, and the race was subsequently halted—all cars will restart from a standing start. Now only Hamilton remains for Ferrari, in eighth place: in just three laps, Ferrari’s Monza Grand Prix has already taken a terrible turn for the worse.

After the crash, Leclerc got out of his car on his own and sat dejected off the track, deeply disappointed by what had happened. The Monegasque driver will undergo examinations at the Autodromo’s medical center because the impact against the barriers was very severe, but he was able to walk on his own and does not appear to have sustained any serious injuries.