{
  "id": 6089201,
  "title": "Leclerc accepts blame, admits Monza clash ‘went too far’ as team‑mate Hamilton criticises Ferrari handling",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/leclerc-accepts-blame-admits-monza-clash-went-too-far-as-team-mate",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-07T02:57:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/sports/2026/09/07/leclerc-accepts-blame-admits-monza-clash-went-too-far-as-teammate-hamilton-criticises-ferrari-handling/234235"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Monza, September 7 — Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver, apologized for his collision with team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the start of the Italian Grand Prix, admitting their battle \"went too far\". The incident occurred at the first chicane, where Hamilton's car struck the gravel and lost ground, dropping to 10th place from fourth. \"Charles pushed me off,\" Hamilton lamented on the team's radio. The collision resulted in Leclerc crashing into the barriers at Parabolica during the second lap, ending his participation in the race. Following the Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton had criticized Ferrari for not directing Leclerc to prioritize Hamilton in the competition with Mercedes' leading drivers. Responding to a query about whether the team should have given Hamilton precedence over Leclerc, Hamilton stated, \"It’s too far past that already, too late for that now and I lost a lot of points to those guys. We will do our best to keep pushing the rest of the season, but they are out and out ahead of us.\" Concerned about Leclerc's vision problems, he emphasized his disappointment at the team's apparent lack of unity. \"I don’t really know who is forcing the narrative, that we are one against the other. At Zandvoort, there were way too many talks already. Here, it’s true though that we went too far, I think, with Lewis in Turn One,\" Leclerc commented. Hamilton entered the weekend aiming for a record sixth win, which would have bolstered his slim prospects for an eighth title. \"That one hurts,\" he admitted. \"That one definitely hurts. Thank you to everyone. To the tifosi, thank you for giving us your love, I’m sorry we couldn’t give you the result you wanted.\" Reflecting on his performance, Hamilton acknowledged that the team's lack of speed on the straights left him vulnerable to his competitors. \"I gave it absolutely everything, we just didn’t have the speed on the straights. I was just mostly a sitting duck to those guys around me and up ahead, but we will look internally and try and figure out what we could have done better.\" After being examined at the circuit's medical center, Leclerc stated that he would undergo additional checks before Ferrari's inaugural race at the new Madring circuit in Spain. \"I think I’ll have quite a few additional checks that we still have to do on my side probably tonight and tomorrow to make sure that I’ll be fully fine for Madrid,\" he said. \"It should be the case, but better to be safe than sorry.\"",
  "summary": "MONZA, Sept 7 — Charles Leclerc admitted his opening-lap scrap with Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton went “t...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Monza misery for Ferrari as Leclerc crashes out and Hamilton limps home in sixth",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/monza-misery-for-ferrari-as-leclerc-crashes-out-and-hamilton-limps",
        "published": "2026-09-06T18:19:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Hamilton wants written rules of engagement at Ferrari after Leclerc clash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/hamilton-wants-written-rules-of-engagement-at-ferrari-after-leclerc",
        "published": "2026-09-06T18:40:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Motorsport.com",
        "title": "Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari has left it \"too late\" to back him in F1 title fight",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/lewis-hamilton-says-ferrari-has-left-it-too-late-to-back-him-in-f1",
        "published": "2026-09-06T20:01:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "Leclerc crashes before Antonelli wins again",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/leclerc-crashes-before-antonelli-wins-again",
        "published": "2026-09-06T20:43:24.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Age",
        "title": "Leclerc crashes before Antonelli wins again",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/leclerc-crashes-before-antonelli-wins-again-6036866",
        "published": "2026-09-06T20:43:24.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Maverick",
        "title": "Hamilton wants written rules of engagement at Ferrari after Leclerc clash",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/hamilton-wants-written-rules-of-engagement-at-ferrari-after-leclerc-6061798",
        "published": "2026-09-06T23:46:25.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}