Hamilton ends Monza rift with Leclerc after 'face-to-face' talks

Madrid [Spain], September 12: Lewis Hamilton said he held "face-to-face talks" with Charles Leclerc to "quash" their disagreement at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix.
Hamilton and Leclerc clashed at the opening corner in Monza, with the former accusing his team-mate of pushing him off the track.
Leclerc originally placed the onus on both Ferrari drivers for the flashpoint which cost Hamilton six positions.
"There was no 'we' in it," said Hamilton after the race as he laid the blame at Leclerc's door. Hamilton finished sixth and Leclerc crashed out on a poor afternoon for Ferrari at their home race.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's inaugural street event in Madrid, Hamilton revealed he spoke directly with the Monegasque to iron out their grievances.
"We sat face-to-face, just him and me, and talked about it," said Hamilton. "We were both honest and open and then we quashed it and moved on. That shows the maturity from him, and it is healthy.
"It is a relationship we have built over time. Of course there are going to be frustrations along the way. There will be more times where we are close in pace, and we both want to win as much as each other and do well for the team. But what is great is that there was no shying away from having a discussion.
"We are going to have different opinions but we came together to find a way forward, and that is the positive of where we have got to over the past 15 months or so. If you look at the history of the sport, this has happened before, so it is no biggie."
Hamilton called for a "written rules of engagement" in the wake of his clash with Leclerc.
But when asked if his request had been answered, Hamilton replied: "There was not (an agreement). Right now, I am trying to focus on having a better weekend. I am sure at some stage we will discuss how we can be better, but we have not had a lot of time (since Monza). You can't change things in two days."
For his part, Leclerc accepted blame for the coming together.
"The rules of engagement are clear," he said on Thursday. "We never want to see a car from the same team on the grass.
"I know I went too far in Turn 2 and I said it to Lewis and it is clear what we should do and what we should avoid going forward. It definitely did not affect the good relationship we have, and it will not affect anything in our relationship going forward."
Hamilton is 76 points adrift of championship leader Kimi Antonelli - the equivalent of more than three wins - with just 10 scheduled rounds remaining.
Hamilton is 36 points clear of Leclerc but said in Italy it is now "far too late" for Ferrari to throw their weight behind him.
However, he continued: "That is not what I have been asking for. It has been about executing together to get the best result for the team.
"Instead of us working against each other and finishing fourth and fifth, we can work together to get to the podium and score more points."
Pressed on his hopes of a record eighth title, Hamilton said: "Mathematically it is on, but it is the biggest gap I have seen in a long, long time.
"Mercedes are out ahead and doing a fantastic job, and we should just focus on doing our best each weekend, and that is all we can do."
Source: Qatar Tribune