Ferrari F1 duo Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc collide at Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc — Photo: © IMAGO

Chinese Grand Prix

Ferrari duo Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc collide at Chinese Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had contact in Shanghai

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 23 March 2025 08:35 Updated: 12:31

Ferrari F1 team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc made contact on the first lap of the Chinese Grand Prix during a chaotic start in Shanghai.

The two drivers managed to get past Max Verstappen at the start and were squabbling for position, but Hamilton's right rear tyre collided with Leclerc's front wing, with carbon fibre flying off his car.

Both drivers continued on in the race, in fourth and fifth position, as Oscar Piastri managed to maintain his position at the front of the pack on lap one of the race.

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Fernando Alonso suffered a brake issue, and trundled back to the pits to retire his Aston Martin car in the early stages of the race, but all 19 other drivers made it through the first few laps.

Hamilton and Leclerc make contact

Hamilton and Leclerc are still in the early stages of their relationship at Ferrari, after the team made the decision to sign the seven-time world champion to replace Spaniard Carlos Sainz.

Ferrari have not had the best start to the season, clearly lacking pace to both McLaren and Mercedes, although Hamilton managed to claim his first win with the team during the Chinese GP sprint race.

Leclerc's front wing was damaged by the lap one incident with Hamilton, but he did not need to come into the pits immediately to replace it, and was showcasing some good pace behind his team-mate in the first stint.

Both drivers had a difficult main race qualifying, and were struggling to keep up with the Mercedes of George Russell, and the McLarens out in front.

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Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc Oscar Piastri Chinese Grand Prix