Former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya asserts that Ferrari’s senior leadership must intervene and define clear boundaries between their drivers after a contentious opening lap incident involving Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the Italian Grand Prix.
The Scuderia endured a disastrous home race at Monza during round 13 of the 2026 championship, as Mercedes secured a 1-2 finish powered by Kimi Antonelli’s remarkable recovery from 19th on the grid.
Ferrari’s race deteriorated immediately when Hamilton attempted an aggressive inside pass on Leclerc into Turn 1 and subsequently went wide around the outside of Turn 2. Leclerc maintained his position, while the seven-time world champion fell to the gravel and dropped to tenth place.
The situation worsened on the following lap when Leclerc, while fending off McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, ran onto the kerbs exiting the Parabolica. He subsequently lost control and crashed into the barriers. Hamilton ultimately finished the race in sixth position.
Speaking to F1 TV after the event, Hamilton—who remains third in the championship—acknowledged that the result was a “tough one to swallow.” During the broadcast analysis, Montoya insisted that team principal Fred Vasseur and the organization’s top brass must meet with both drivers before the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
“They need to go beyond Fred and sit them down. Both drivers need to come to Maranello this week for a proper discussion because, in my opinion, Charles stated, ‘I raced Lewis like I would have raced anybody else,'” Montoya explained.
“However, he is your teammate, and you must respect both your teammate and the team.”
These results left Hamilton 10 points behind second-place George Russell and 76 points adrift of championship leader Kimi Antonelli. Leclerc currently ranks fifth with 155 points, trailing Antonelli by 112 points.