Lewis Hamilton has declared his Formula One world championship challenge for this year is effectively over after a challenging Italian Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver finished sixth at Monza, an afternoon that included a clash with his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton suggested the incident with Leclerc, who did not finish the race after a lap two crash, stemmed from Ferrari's failure to manage their drivers and execute races more effectively. He now trails Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli by 76 points, with Antonelli winning the race after starting 19th on the grid.
The seven-time champion stated, "From today, we’ve just lost so much ground to them on points. It’s far too late for those decisions to come." He also pointedly noted that the team principal, Fred Vasseur, bore responsibility for the operational issues, comparing Ferrari's approach unfavourably to his former team, Mercedes, which had "written rules of engagement."
Vasseur indicated that the team would now consider prioritising Hamilton, with Leclerc 112 points behind Antonelli. The next race is scheduled for Madrid next weekend.