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Hamilton and Leclerc 'squash' Monza controversy - Published Lewis Hamilton says he and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc have "squashed" any controversy between them after a difficult Italian Grand Prix. Leclerc forced Hamilton into the gravel at the first chicane at Monza on Sunday, and then crashed two laps later. Hamilton recovered to finish a disappointed sixth. It was the second flashpoint between the Ferrari drivers in two races, after an argument over the radio during the Dutch Grand Prix when Leclerc resisted a request to move aside for Hamilton. Hamilton said: "What's great is that there was no shying away from having a discussion. We sat face to face, just him and I, and talked about it. "We were just both open and honest, and we squashed it. We can move on. I think that one shows the maturity from him." Speaking at the media day for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, the seven-time champion added: "It's healthy. It's a relationship we have built over time. Of course, there's going to be frustrations and I'm sure there'll be more times where we're close because we're very close in pace. "We both want to win just as much as each other, and we both want to do well for the team as well." - 'It started as a joke, a fantasy' - F1 heads to football-obsessed Madrid - Published16 hours ago - How to follow Spanish Grand Prix on the BBC - Published10 hours ago Leclerc said: "It's kind of clear that we never want to see a car of the same team in the grass. "After reviewing, we spoke with Lewis. I obviously know I went too far in turn two and I said it to Lewis and I think it's very clear what we should do or should avoid going forward. "But I won't go into much more details of what we've said. The only thing I can say is that it definitely did not affect the good relationship that we have and it will not affect anything going forward. And that is the most important for me, really. "I know we are driving for Ferrari and if there's one race where you don't want that to happen, it's in Monza and when these things happen at our home race, then it does a huge mess outside. "However, looking at the race from outside, there's been also some friction between other team-mates and the only thing we end up speaking of is Lewis and me, which I don't think is quite right. But that doesn't mean we did everything perfect." Hamilton acknowledged again that Ferrari had to improve their operations, after three consecutive race weekends where qualifying has not gone to plan. "It's really just making sure we're executing to make sure we get the best result for the team," he said. "Instead of us working against each other and finish fourth and fifth, maybe we can work together and get a podium and pull off more points. "It's a longer term process. It's not something we can just change into this weekend. There's a huge amount of moving parts, there's a lot of people, there's a culture that's been there for a long, long time and moving big pieces is not so easy." Madring 'one of the most risky circuits' F1 faces a fresh challenge this weekend at the first Spanish Grand at the new Madring, a hybrid street circuit built on the Ifema complex near the city's international airport. Hamilton said: "It's a massively challenging circuit. Of all the new tracks that I've gone to, this one, maybe Saudi, are the two closest in terms of how difficult it was to get on top of the car and find the right lines and such." Mercedes driver George Russell said: "It's a crazy circuit, I would put it. Arguably one of the most risky circuits of the whole calendar. "Because you have real high-speed corners, sort of Jeddah-esque, the walls are very close, so there's no margin for error, but then you have other corners... where you're coming from a high speed into a slow braking zone, you're braking and turning at the same time, so locking tyres are going to be easy and if you lock up you'll be straight in the wall. "So, excited to try that out, I think it's going to be really challenging for us as drivers, the race is going to be challenging to overtake, so on the whole it's not an easy one." Russell heads into the race 66 points behind team-mate Kimi Antonelli after the Italian's landmark victory in Monza from 19th on the grid. The Briton acknowledged that his title hopes with nine or 10 races left, amid uncertainty about the end of the season, were fading fast. "I would definitely need some luck and I need some good performances," Russell said. "It's not really something I'm thinking about, because he's performing better than me, so he deserves to be leading the championship. "There's still a long way to go, but he's yet to have a bad weekend in terms of performance. "So he's performing exceptionally well, my performances are better, but if I want to win this championship, I'm going to need some luck on the way. But it's not something I'm focused on. I'm focused on driving faster and just finding more performance." Antonelli said: "I don't really want to try thinking about the championship. I think Monza was the proof that I wasn't driving thinking about, or worrying about the championship. I was just driving to win, to do my best. So that's the mindset." The Italian said his win in Monza was "so far the best day of my life and definitely one I will remember forever". He said a day karting with Mercedes on Monday helped him move on from the excitement of the day before. "After Monza, that night, that day overall, I was very excited. But then going karting on Monday helped me to go back to earth, just go back to the ground. "It was a good day, good fun day with the team. It was also a way to remind myself where I came from, all the journey that was done. "And then about pressure, I try to embrace it as much as possible. And I try to see it as a positive thing and try to see it as an opportunity too. That's also what is helping me to stay calm under difficult situations." Related topics - Published2 days ago
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