Was putting Leclerc and Hamilton as teammates a mistake?

Sam Wye weighs up Ferrari’s decision to appoint Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton as teammates after the two suffered a controversial moment at the teams home race, the Italian Grand Prix, last time out.

Feature image credit: Ferrari Media Centre

Unfortunately for Leclerc, Monza will be mostly remembered for his spectacular crash at the top of the famous Parabolica on lap 3. It was a mistake that has, yet again, led fans and critics to question his world championship potential.

However, it isn’t the only part of Ferrari’s team dynamic that has become worthy of discussion recently.

Hamilton admitted in Thursday’s Spanish press conference that he had spoken to Charles after yet another controversial incident between the pair at Ferrari’s home race. Speaking to the media, he said:

“We sat face to face, just him and me, and talked about it, and we were just both open and honest. We squashed it, and we can move on.”

“I think that shows the maturity from him. I think it’s healthy. It’s a relationship we have built over time.”

Leclerc seemed to have come to terms with the mistake at turn one very quickly after jumping out of the car, as he said in his post race interview:

“With Lewis it was too close. I was quite a lot on the inside curb and I tried to make the corner. I saw what happened in my mirror, which is never what you want between two of the same car.”

Team principal, Fred Vasseur gave little comment on the lap one incident in his reflection of the race, choosing instead to focus on the lack of pace from the car over a race distance.

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Ferrari’s teammate conflicts

It is not the first time that Ferrari have encountered difficulty between their teammates. It was only the previous race in Zandvoort where Hamilton and Leclerc were once again getting in each others way. A moment that Lewis had called ‘unacceptable’ just a week prior to their Italian tangle.

Leclerc’s former teammate, Carlos Sainz, also weighed in on the Ferrari teammate dynamic by speaking about his time as teammates with the Monegasque.

“Me with Charles, always twice, two or three times a year, we always had a bit of a discussion or an argument” admitted the Spaniard.

“It’s always the same case and I don’t know the way it’s being handled right now. When I was there in Ferrari with Charles, we would always sort it out among each other and we would get on with it”

Two number one’s or one number two?

F1 has always had the ongoing discussion of how best to run a racing team. Team’s like Red Bull and Ferrari traditionally have gone with a number one and number 2 driver, in order to create as little conflict as possible.

It also gives number one’s like Max Verstappen or Michael Schumacher the best possible chance at success.

However, teams like McLaren in 2024 proved that it can also be valuable to have two number 1 driver’s as it boosted the team to their first constructors title despite Verstappen winning overall.

Since the days of Schumacher, Ferrari have clearly adapted to a structure of two number ones.

With Hamilton and Leclerc being two of the most evenly matched teammate pairings on the grid, questions have been put on Ferrari about how they handle such a truly unique dynamic.

It will be up to Ferrari management and Fred Vasseur to make sure the partnership does not get remembered for the wrong reasons.

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Sam Wye

Sam Wye