Nico Rosberg on the Hamilton–Leclerc Ferrari duel: “It’s quite clear, isn’t it?”

We’ve noted this time and again; given the driving calibre of the two Ferrari drivers, it’s inevitable: there will always be situations in which Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both lay claim to the same patch of tarmac, and that’s when things get dicey.

Just as happened at Monza after the start, when the Briton and the Monegasque got in each other’s way, sending Hamilton into the gravel and causing him to drop back.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur later admitted: “We’ll have to speak to both of them to sort this situation out. It’s a bit of a shame. To start a race like that, with one of the two cars then falling so far back, is certainly not ideal.”

Hamilton was tight-lipped: “Well, I dropped back to 10th place because of it; I can’t say much more than that.”

Nico Rosberg, however, has something to say on the matter. The 41-year-old from Wiesbaden was at Monza as a GP expert for Sky’s team, and he watched the Leclerc versus Hamilton duel very closely to see exactly what happened in the right-left combination of the first corner.”

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Nico Rosberg

Foto: XPB

The 2016 Formula 1 World Champion says: “Sorry, but that’s 100 per cent Leclerc’s fault. The rule is crystal clear – if the driver on the outside, in this case Hamilton, has the nose ahead at the apex – and Lewis did – then the driver on the inside, i.e. Leclerc, must leave enough room for the other driver to negotiate the corner.”

“It’s simple and clear. But Leclerc didn’t leave Hamilton that space, so it’s down to Charles. It’s all set out in black and white; I even know which page of the sporting regulations it’s on – page 11.”

Perhaps, however, the whole incident was simply Leclerc’s retaliation for the corner entry, when Lewis cheekily squeezed in on the inside of Leclerc. After all, Rosberg, the 23-time Grand Prix winner, admits: “Perhaps Hamilton was a little too aggressive at that moment.”