Lewis Hamilton may have secured his first podium finish for Ferrari, but one F1 icon believes he prevented the Scuderia from achieving greater things in China
Former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve has accused Lewis Hamilton of “destroying” Ferrari’s Chinese Grand Prix hopes with his tussle with team-mate Charles Leclerc. The Brit secured third place, earning himself a spot on the podium ahead of the Monegasque, who came fourth.
The seven-time world drivers’ champion was told his display in Shanghai was “extreme”, and even damaging to Ferrari’s hopes of victory in China. Hamilton was the third quickest in the sprint and finished third behind the Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
His podium finish would have come as a huge relief, having failed to register a single one in a GP during his disappointing debut campaign. However, the 41-year-old was accused of putting his personal ambitions first when he chose to battle his Ferrari colleague.
Villeneuve said: “Well, it was fair because he finished third, and he managed to beat his teammate. So, yes, it turned out okay, but it was a little bit extreme, and it destroyed Ferrari’s race.
“They were running second and third. Then they were fighting so fiercely, destroying their tyres. And in those two laps, they lost five seconds to Antonelli.”
The podium finish for Hamilton was his first for Ferrari after a challenging debut season in the iconic red. In achieving this, it marked a record-extending 203rd time he has stood among the victors during his distinguished F1 career.
However, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur dismissed the idea, asserting that the two teammates vying for trophies is beneficial for the sport. He said: “I checked on my Whoop, and it was ok. I trust them, and for sure, it is always tricky because it is difficult to stop them.
View 2 Images
Hamilton and Leclerc duelled with each other during the business end of the Chinese GP(Image: Getty)
“I don’t want to ask them to freeze the positions, and I think it would be unfair. They are professional, and it is good for the team, it is good for F1, and I would prefer it stays like this.”
After the race, Hamilton admitted he and Leclerc did make contact with each other. The Brit said: “I had so much fun. We had a great start. I wasn’t able to keep these [Mercedes] guys behind, but to stay in the fight, it was one of the most enjoyable races that I’ve had in a long, long time, if ever.
“The fact that the cars are the way they are this year… that battle with Charles at the end was awesome. Great wheel-to-wheel battle, very fair, and just what we want. We’ve got to keep pushing.
“I think there was one moment we did touch, but it was subtle, just a kiss, so it’s ok. But that’s what it’s about, it’s about tough racing.”
When asked for his version of events, Leclerc made no suggestion he was unhappy with his team-mate. He said: “It’s not very often I have a smile after [finishing] P4. Of course, there is one big negative after a race like this – and this is the gap to Mercedes.
“Lewis and I did the maximum. We obviously lost some time, so maybe the gap is a bit bigger than what we thought. Once they were gone, we decided we would fight at least for the podium. That didn’t optimise our race time but didn’t change our result.”
