Hamilton breaks silence on Q3 decision that left Leclerc without tow at Monza

Given the five-place grid penalty Lewis Hamilton received at Zandvoort for not slowing sufficiently under double yellow flags before the start of the GP, many expected Ferrari to use the Brit as a tow for Charles Leclerc, helping him fight for a front-row spot.

However, that scenario didn’t materialize, with both drivers opting to run alone, ultimately failing to improve on their first Q3 attempts.

As a result, Leclerc will start from fourth position, while Hamilton, after serving his penalty, will line up tenth on the grid.

Hamilton was, of course, asked why he didn’t give a tow to his teammate, given what was at stake and the fact that he would have started further back anyway.

Speaking to GPblog at the end of qualifying, the seven-time world champion said: ''It's not something I ever did in any of my other teams.''

Despite the penalty, Hamilton expressed confidence in being able to mount a strong comeback during the race, aware that a very low-downforce setup could help facilitate overtaking: ''Obviously with the penalty and everyone being so close it's going to be tough to overtake everybody ahead of me.''