Hamilton slams Ferrari’s lack of team orders - now ‘it’s far too late’

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari’s failure to establish clear rules of engagement between its drivers has become an increasingly costly problem – and the seven-time world champion now feels the team should have made its priorities clear weeks ago.

Monza only intensified the frustration. Ferrari’s home race descended into intra-team drama almost immediately when Charles Leclerc forced Hamilton onto the gravel at the opening chicane, dropping his team-mate from fourth to 10th.

Leclerc then crashed at the Parabolica a lap later, triggering the red flag and further complicating Ferrari’s already bruising afternoon.

Hamilton recovered to sixth, but with Mercedes securing a 1-2, Ferrari emerged from its home event having surrendered even more ground in both championships.

Hamilton: Ferrari waited too long

The Briton has repeatedly questioned Ferrari’s handling of situations in which he and Leclerc are pursuing different strategies, most notably at the Dutch Grand Prix when he felt an opportunity to challenge for the podium was lost because the team hesitated over moving Leclerc aside.

Given Hamilton’s stronger position in the championship relative to Leclerc, the Ferrari newcomer clearly believes the team should have settled on a pecking order much earlier. After Monza, he made his frustration unmistakable.

"I think from today, we've just lost so much ground to them [Mercedes] on points," he told. "It's far too late for those decisions to come. It's many, many weeks too late.

"All I can do is just try and turn up. I'll get up tomorrow morning and I'll give it my best. Ultimately today, I feel massively gutted for the tifosi, who showed up for us today.

"The guys back at the factory, who really, really are giving it everything. You know yesterday we didn't really execute that well. I think the same today.

"It's tough. I'm giving it everything I can, but sometimes it's just not enough. You need all the other stuff to come together.

Another Ferrari opportunity squandered

Ferrari’s execution had already looked questionable during qualifying, where its drivers struggled to work together effectively on a circuit where the slipstream can make a significant difference.

Hamilton was nearly eliminated in Q2 before finally securing a tow from Leclerc during his second Q3 run.

That left them starting third and fourth, but their promising positions lasted barely a corner. Hamilton edged ahead into Turn 1 and remained alongside through Turn 2 before Leclerc squeezed him wide and onto the gravel.

Read also:

• Vasseur: Monza rift between Ferrari drivers ‘not good for the team’

The incident cost Hamilton heavily and ultimately contributed to another lost opportunity for Ferrari. Leclerc later admitted that "we went too far", but Hamilton’s wider frustration is clearly aimed beyond the clash itself.

For him, Monza was another example of a team that continues to leave crucial points on the table — and one that, in his view, should have decided long ago how its two drivers are expected to race each other.

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