F1 LIVE: LEWIS HAMILTON DEMANDS FERRARI ‘CONTRACT’ AS ITALIAN GP R…..SEE MORE IN COMMENT

F1 LIVE: LEWIS HAMILTON DEMANDS FERRARI ‘CONTRACT’ AS ITALIAN GP R…..SEE MORE IN COMMENT

   Lewis Hamilton has called on Ferrari to formalise how its drivers race each other, demanding written “rules of engagement” in the wake of a costly clash with Charles Leclerc at Monza. Starting fourth, Hamilton was forced wide into the gravel at the first chicane by Leclerc and dropped to 10th, with the Monegasque crashing out two laps later. Finishing sixth, Hamilton fell to 76 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli. “I think it comes down to rules of engagement. When I was at Mercedes we had written rules of engagement. And we never really had it too bad,” Hamilton said. “Here there are no rules. And I think that’s something that needs to probably change”. He added that team principal Fred Vasseur must lead the change: “Ultimately, it comes from the top and it trickles down as decisions”.

  The incident summed up a miserable home race for Ferrari in front of a record 403,666 fans. Leclerc told media “we went too far” but Hamilton rejected that, insisting: “I was ahead into Turn Two. By the apex I was ahead, so there’s no ‘we’ in it”. The Briton also admitted it may be too late to turn the title fight around: “I think today we just lost so much ground to them (Mercedes) on points, and it’s far too late for those decisions to come”. Antonelli’s win for Mercedes extended his lead to 66 points over George Russell, leaving Hamilton third and “massively gutted” for the Tifosi.

    While Ferrari licks its wounds, the Italian GP result itself could still change. Audi have lodged an appeal against the stewards’ decision not to apply sporting regulations regarding Yuki Tsunoda’s alleged infringement at the start of the first planned restart. If upheld, the appeal could alter the final classification from Monza. Amid the chaos, Hamilton insisted he’s not the problem: “I don’t race dirty. I’ve always raced clean and fairly and always left space”. He said Ferrari must now “take it offline” after the next race to ensure “the same things don’t happen again”, as preparations begin for the Spanish GP in Madrid.