What Ferrari drivers have revealed about post-Monza talks

Ferrari Formula 1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc claim they've cleared the air after their opening lap Italian Grand Prix squabble - and they'll continue to race without rules of engagement for now.

Hamilton dived down the inside of Leclerc at Turn 1 at Monza but found himself in the gravel at Turn 2 as they battled each other hard. 

Leclerc said "we went too far" after the race, a remark Hamilton wasn't too pleased about saying "I was ahead in Turn 2. By the apex, I was ahead. So there was no 'we' in it." 

But Hamilton said they spoke to each other afterwards to clear the air. 

"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," Hamilton explained on Thursday in Madrid.

"We were just both open and honest and we squashed it and we can move on. I think that shows the maturity from him and I think 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. But yeah, I think it's a real positive." 

For his part, Leclerc said it's "clear that we never want to see a car of the same team in the grass. 

"So yeah, I mean, after reviewing, we spoke with Lewis. I obviously know I went too far in Turn 2 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 detail than 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.

"When these things happen at our home race, then it does [make] a huge mess outside. However, I mean, looking at the race from outside, there's also been some friction between other team-mates.

"The only thing [people] end up speaking of is Lewis and I, which I don't think is quite right. But that doesn't mean we did everything perfectly. I didn't in Turn 2.

"And for that, I've been straight away very clear with Lewis after reviewing the images."

Leclerc doubled down on this assertion that a disproportionate focus had been placed on the Ferrari drivers, when other team-mates had been fighting each other hard too. 

"Again, I need to be careful with that because it's not to minimise the way that this unfolded, it's not acceptable to see Lewis going in the gravel, etc." Leclerc said. 

"But for sure, the proportions, as a matter of fact, are much bigger on our side compared to the two other teams that have had some…I didn't follow the whole race…but the two other teams I saw that were fighting at the top, there wasn't as much noise around it. 

"So surely the proportions that it takes when you are driving for Ferrari is much bigger and particularly if we're in Monza. But that's not to minimise what happened. It's not something that should happen again." 

No rules of engagement (for now) 

There was much surprise after Monza when it was revealed the Ferrari drivers have "no rules" for racing each other. 

Hamilton spoke to team boss Fred Vasseur on the Monday after Monza, having spent much of his post-race media sessions calling for Ferrari to make big changes to the way it operates and executes its weekends.

It's been really positive," Hamilton said of the days after Monza.

"I spoke to Fred on Monday, and we're just clearing up…discussion of…naturally, we're going to always have different opinions, but at the end of the day, we come together and we find a way forward. 

"That's the positives of where we've got to over the past 15 months or whatever it is. We've got to a place where we have really great communication internally, and the same with me and Charles." 

Asked if the introduction of rules of engagement - similar to what Hamilton had throughout his time at Mercedes - was part of those conversations with Vasseur, Hamilton said "It was not". 

Asked why they weren't, Hamilton replied: "Right now I'm just trying to focus on having a better weekend, this weekend.

"I'm sure at some stage we'll discuss how we can be better, but we've not had a lot of time to turn around. You can't change things in two days." 

Asked by The Race if Ferrari could quickly implement the kind of communication and procedural changes Hamilton was calling for after Monza, he replied: "I think 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. Moving big pieces is not so easy. 

"We just take it one step at a time. It starts with discussing it. It starts with the acknowledgement, which internally we have. 

"Then it just comes to working out solutions together. It just doesn't happen overnight. We'll probably try things and it still won't be good, but we'll eventually get to the point we need." 

Hamilton continues to insist publicly that any change he's calling for at Ferrari doesn't include asking the team to prioritise him over Leclerc. Instead it's all about ensuring the team all pulls together so it can make the most of any slip-ups from Mercedes. 

"I mean, that's not actually really what I've been asking for," he said.

"It's really just making sure we're executing to make sure we get the best result for the team instead of us working against each other and finishing fourth and fifth. 

"Maybe you can work together and get a podium and pull off more points. I think at this point, 

"Mercedes, if you look at the last race, there was six tenths of a lap quicker on the straights. Pretty much most of the other tracks, there's three or four tenths we're losing just on the straights. 

"So I think we've done a really great job given that we've had that deficit and we continue to make improvements to the car. We've made improvements to the engine. We knew that the last upgrade wasn't going to be a silver bullet and close that gap completely. But for me, it's really positive to see us continuously stepping forward and they are just very, very quick and it's not easy. 

"So as I said, rather than focus on them, they're not a focus for me at the moment. I think our focus should just be how we can do the best and execute the best on our weekends because there'll be weekends where they're exceptional and there'll be weekends where they maybe drop the ball. 

"As long as we just focus on our consistency and trying to optimise our weekends, maybe there's going to be a moment where we are able to capitalise on perhaps their shortcomings."