Hamilton lashes out at Leclerc over Italian GP start

Lewis Hamilton lashed out at Charles Leclerc on the the opening lap of the Italian GP. The two Ferrari teammates nearly came to blows at the first corner, with Hamilton complaining over the team's radio about his teammate's behaviour.

"Charles pushed me off!" Hamilton said after he was forced wide by Leclerc, who then had a crash of his own, forcing the race to be stopped.

It was a classic wheel-to-wheel showcase at the iconic Monza circuit that again devolved into high-speed controversy, leaving Hamilton fuming over team radio and calling into question the boundaries of aggressive racecraft.

Launching cleanly off the line, Hamilton found strong momentum down the long Monza main straight and positioned his car to challenge Leclerc into the tricky Variante del Rettifilo.

As the two drivers braked at over 200 mph into the narrow braking zone, Hamilton attempted a committed move around the outside line. However, Leclerc defended his position with extreme aggression, refusing to yield an inch and squeezing the British champion off the racing line. With nowhere left to run, Hamilton was forced hard over the exit curbs, compromising his entire entry and sacrificing crucial momentum.

The seven-time world champion did not hold back his anger over the team communications, expressing intense frustration at what he viewed as dangerously uncompromising driving. The two nearly collided earlier in the weekend.

Hamilton made it clear that Leclerc had left him zero racing room, directly pushing him off the circuit and jeopardising both of their races in front of a packed grandstand.

While the passionate Italian crowd naturally roared in support of the home-team hero, the incident reignited fierce debates across the paddock regarding Ferrari's inability to manage their driver pairing. Hamilton had said the previous race how Ferrari's decision not to back one driver was hampering their chances.

Meanwhile, Leclerc's race was ended early after he crashed out.