Nico Rosberg left no doubt as he analyzed the clash between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the Italian Grand Prix in Formula 1 this past Sunday (the 6th). For the 2016 world champion, who was Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes, the incident at Monza’s second corner left Leclerc as the one responsible.
Hamilton started from sixth on the grid and managed to take the position from Leclerc at turn 1. Subsequently, however, the Monégasque struck back at turn 2 and ended up forcing his teammate off the track. A lap later, Leclerc himself went off the track, crashed heavily into Parabolica, and retired from the race.
The dispute sparked widespread discussion, including on Ferrari’s radio, and also divided opinions among F1 commentators. Martin Brundle, from Sky, was initially opposed to the idea that Leclerc should be held responsible: “Leclerc was ahead enough on the inner part of the corner. I think Leclerc wouldn’t have received a penalty, which is irrelevant now, of course. Lewis dove inside him at the first apex — fair. That’s racing. Then he went to the outside, which was bold. Leclerc, I think, was ahead at the apex. He was ahead enough. And inside, which is another key element.”
In Brundle’s assessment, Leclerc could have left more space if he had better control of the front end, but the Ferrari driver’s reaction would also be related to how Hamilton took the first corner. “If Charles had more control over the front, one could say that he should have left room for the teammate. I suspect he was quite irritated by what happened at the entry to the first corner.”
Rosberg, however, saw the move differently. For him, the rule is clear when the outside driver arrives ahead toward the apex: “This is easy,” he said. “The rules are: if the driver on the outside — which, in this case, is Lewis — is ahead at any point on the way to the apex, then the inside driver must yield space.”
“It’s very straightforward and simple. Lewis was ahead at the entry, so Charles had to leave space, and he didn’t. Therefore, the fault is 100% Charles. The rule is very clear. It’s written in black and white. I could even tell you which page — page 11.”
The disagreement happened live, with Brundle beside Rosberg during the analysis. The German even took the opportunity to tease the British commentator: “I can’t believe it! Martin, I thought you usually knew what you were talking about!”
Despite the disagreement over who should be held responsible, the two agreed on one point: Hamilton’s move at Turn 1 was quite aggressive and may have contributed to Leclerc’s reaction afterward.
“I think Charles had the inside line. He was far enough ahead,” Brundle said. “My read is that he was a bit upset with what happened at the entrance to the first corner.”
Rosberg agreed with that part of the analysis, although he stood by his view that Leclerc was responsible for the contact. “That’s true. Lewis was too aggressive.”
