Charles Leclerc calls out Ferrari bias as F1 star opens up on Lewis Hamilton fight

F1 star Charles Leclerc has called out the media's Ferrari bias, claiming that the discussion around his on-track scuffles with team-mate Lewis Hamilton has been 'unfair' and the incidents 'over-analysed'.

The two Ferrari drivers and their team principal Fred Vasseur have all been in the headlines for the wrong reasons since F1 returned from its summer break.

Hamilton started the second half of the season 50 points adrift of Kimi Antonelli and the Italian's closest challenger, but multiple incidents in the last few races, including two with his team-mate, have left him 101 points adrift and all but out of the title race.

At the Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton lost crucial lap time behind his team-mate despite being faster and on a different strategy, with Leclerc having initially refused to pit and get out of his way, while the Ferrari pair then battled hard early on in Monza, causing Hamilton to go off track and lose several places.

Hamilton's DNF in Madrid last time out, which could not have been prevented, only exacerbated his woes.

F1 HEADLINES: Hamilton in turmoil as F1 star hit with double FIA punishment

Leclerc opens up on Hamilton fight at Ferrari

Despite the pair having been incident-free in Madrid, speaking to the media in Baku ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Leclerc was asked about his on-track battles with Hamilton this season.

Leclerc once again made it clear that he felt both drivers had overstepped the mark at times (despite Hamilton claiming otherwise, at least in Monza), but also admitted that he enjoys fighting against his team-mate.

"Yes, I am [happy with how he and Hamilton race wheel-to-wheel]," Leclerc explained. "Then, of course, there have been moments where I went too far, where Lewis went too far, but I think the key in that is to discuss.

"I’ve been with Ferrari since 2019 now and I know everything we do is overanalysed, over-discussed, and very often the conclusions that are taken after those kinds of fights are the wrong ones. We only need to speak with Lewis to kind of understand.

"We’ve been doing that all our life, so we both want to win and there’s competition, but we also want to win as a team and to make Ferrari come out on top eventually. So that is the priority.

"But I mean, I enjoy fighting with Lewis and that’s what is exciting in Formula 1, is to be fighting against the best, and Lewis is definitely up there. So, for me it’s a big challenge, but I’m enjoying it."

Leclerc calls out Ferrari bias

The Monegasque driver continued, confirming that the rules of engagement between the two Ferrari stars is clear, even if at times, such as Monza, things went too far.

Leclerc also feels his and Hamilton's battles have been over-analysed because they drive for Ferrari, calling the media 'unfair' for continuing to discuss their incidents.

"Sure [they are clear]. I mean, Turn 2 in Monza is something that I’ve said repeatedly, that it’s not something that we want to see ever happen again, and that’s going too far on my side," Leclerc added. "But I’ve been through it already.

"Yeah, I think it’s pretty clear that we don’t necessarily have to write those things. I think it’s clear enough. Again, I feel like it’s being over-discussed and over-analysed when it’s about the red cars. That’s not really fair.

"In Monza, if you look at the four top teams, three of them had fights like this, with the car finishing in the grass, and at the end of the day the only thing we are speaking about still now is the red cars, which I don’t think is fair."

READ MORE: Christian Horner return in jeopardy with 'at least seven' rivals in play

READ MORE: Verstappen F1 nightmare as Red Bull boss reveals 'huge problem'

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

F1 News Today: Lewis Hamilton in turmoil as F1 star hit with double FIA punishment

• 3 hours ago

Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari in turmoil after Mercedes humiliation at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

• Yesterday 20:58

F1 star Lewis Hamilton issues grid penalty verdict ahead of Azerbaijan Grand Prix

• Yesterday 18:05

Red Bull confirm late Max Verstappen engine change at F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

• 2 minutes ago

F1 Race Today: Azerbaijan Grand Prix Saturday start time, schedule, TV channel and FREE live stream

• 1 hour ago

Amended F1 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix starting grid with all late penalties applied by the FIA

• 2 hours ago