The pair’s wheel-to-wheel duel became one of the race’s standout moments, with both drivers later admitting they enjoyed the scrap despite the added pressure of racing each other.
Hamilton ultimately claimed third behind the dominant Mercedes pair, marking his first Ferrari podium after 26 starts with the Scuderia — the longest wait for a Ferrari driver to stand on the podium with the team.
While admitting Ferrari remains some distance behind Mercedes in outright pace, Hamilton said the intra-team fight proved a highlight of the race.
“I had so much fun,” Hamilton said after the race.
“We had a great start. I wasn’t able to keep these guys behind but to stay in the fight is one of the most enjoyable races I’ve had in a long long time, if ever.
“The fact that the cars are the way they are this year. And that battle with Charles at the end was awesome. Great wheel-to-wheel battle. Very fair and just what we want.”
Hamilton added that the close nature of the fight showed exactly what F1 racing should look like, even if it did become a bit too close between the Ferrari pair.
“I think there was one moment we did touch but it was subtle. Just a kiss. So it’s okay,” he said.
“But this is what it’s about. It’s about tough racing. And I’ve got to say a huge thank you to everyone at Ferrari, everyone back at Maranello for getting us into this position.”
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Leclerc, who finished fourth after repeatedly swapping positions with his teammate during the latter stages of the race, echoed Hamilton’s sentiment about the fight.
“I really enjoyed it,” he said.
“It’s not very often that I will smile after P4.
“I mean of course there are many negatives on a race like this, I mean there was one big negative after a race like this and this is the gap to the Mercedes.”
The Monegasque acknowledged that the battle may have cost Ferrari some time relative to the leaders but insisted the racing was worth it.
“Lewis and I did I think the maximum,” he said.
“Obviously we lost some time, so maybe the gap is a bit bigger than what we thought.
“We lost some time once they were gone, we decided that we would fight at least for the podium.
“So that didn’t optimise our race time, but it didn’t change anything to our results.
“But to come back with Lewis’s fight, it was very fun. I really enjoyed it.
“I’m not sure the team enjoyed it as much as we did! But I did.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur admitted the battle carried risks but said he had complete faith in his drivers to handle it professionally.
“No, I check on my Whoop and it was okay!” he joked when asked if the duel raised his heart rate.
“I trust them. And for sure, it’s always tricky because it’s difficult to stop them and I don’t want to ask them to freeze the position.
“I think it would have been unfair. They are professional. They did very well and it’s good for the team.
“It’s good for the F1, and I prefer to stay like this.”
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Vasseur also described Hamilton’s podium as an important milestone for both driver and team.
“I think it’s an important step. The first one,” he admitted.
“I’m sure that it will help us to come back.”
Despite the positive result, the Ferrari boss acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead, with Mercedes securing another one-two finish.
“It’s a good weekend overall but we are still far away from the Mercedes,” he said.
“We are still four or five tenths and it’s a lot.”
The hard racing between the Ferrari drivers drew mixed reactions from Sky Sports analysts Jacques Villeneuve and Jamie Chadwick, with Villeneuve suggesting the aggressive fight may have cost Ferrari valuable time in the race.
“He’s feisty. He’s fighting. And, you know, he was quite cool today. He was minding his own business, just not letting Antonelli get away too far,” Villeneuve said of Hamilton.
“But then Leclerc decided to not play the team game. Decided to play the Leclerc game. And caught him by surprise.”
Villeneuve argued the duel ultimately harmed Ferrari’s race.
“It was fair because he [Hamilton] finished third,” he added.
“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.
“They were fighting so hard, destroying their tyres, and in those two laps they lost five seconds to Antonelli.”
However, Chadwick viewed the duel as a refreshing example of genuine racing between teammates.
“I don’t think Mercedes were their battle today though,” she said.
“And I quite like the fact they’re going at it.
“To be honest, the two drivers, I liked also the fact that they both seemed to be quite happy. Charles as well, was like I’m actually having a bit of fun.”
Chadwick added that the moves themselves highlighted the racecraft of both drivers.
“What I like is the execution of the overtake is still real racing,” she said.
“You have to have good racecraft. You have to have good awareness. And I think that part I quite like.
“And that’s where you see a world champion like Lewis Hamilton just excels.
“And even with Charles here, he’s just got such good awareness and racecraft that, yeah, that’s what got him his podium today and was great to see.”
Ferrari sit second in the constructors’ championship after two races, 31 points behind Mercedes.
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