Hamilton rejects 'tow' claim while Leclerc expresses disappointment over lost opportunity.

      "I needed to position myself as far forward as I could."

      Ferrari's home Grand Prix in Italy stirred new discussions after Lewis Hamilton rejected the notion of providing Charles Leclerc with a slipstream for pole position at Monza. The seven-time world champion, who was racing in Ferrari colors at Monza for the first time, acknowledged on Thursday that he would be willing to assist his teammate if requested. "It hasn't been discussed," Hamilton noted back then. "But if it helped Charles achieve that, I would gladly take on that role."

      However, following the qualifying session where Leclerc finished fourth—two-tenths behind Max Verstappen's pole lap—and Hamilton placed fifth but was demoted to tenth due to a five-place grid penalty from Zandvoort, he disclosed that the idea was never considered. "No, it's not something I've ever done in any of the teams I've competed for in the past," the 40-year-old mentioned to Italian journalists. "Such a decision could require sacrificing one of the two drivers. Coupled with the five-place penalty, it meant I needed to be as far forward as possible."

      La Gazzetta dello Sport noted this as a "clear shift" from Hamilton’s earlier comments. Meanwhile, Leclerc implied he would have accepted assistance. "The slipstream situation could have been approached differently," the Monegasque conceded. "But that's how it played out." Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur told Sky Italia that while they had entertained the idea of providing Leclerc with a slipstream, they ultimately deemed it more important to concentrate on the out-lap to optimize tire preparation, which he felt was the right choice. "Given the gap, I don’t believe it would have changed the outcome for pole."

      Vasseur emphasized that Leclerc did not ask for a tow. "No, he didn't. I believe Charles understood the situation very well. If the second car had started from the back of the grid or from the pit lane, the scenario would have been different."