The Japan Times - Leclerc accepts blame as Hamilton laments Ferrari approach

The Monegasque driver clashed with Hamilton at the first chicane, where the Briton bounced into the gravel and dropped to 10th from fourth.

"Charles pushed me off," moaned Hamilton on team radio.

Leclerc then slammed into the barriers at Parabolica on lap two and out of the race.

After the recent Dutch Grand Prix, Hamilton complained that that the team had not issued orders to Leclerc.

On Sunday the Briton was asked if the team should have made him the priority over Leclerc in the battle with the Mercedes-powered rivals atop standings.

"It's too far past that already, too late for that now and I lost a lot of points to those guys," said Hamilton. "We will do our best to keep pushing the rest of the season, but they are out and out ahead of us."

Leclerc said he suffered slight vision problems, but was more concerned at suggestions that the two Ferrari drivers appeared not to be working together as a team.

"I don't really know who is forcing the narrative, that we are one against the other. At Zandvoort, there were way too many talks already," he said.

"Here, it's true though that we went too far, I think, with Lewis in Turn One."

Hamilton came into the weekend hoping for a record sixth win to boost his slim hopes for an eighth title.

"That one hurts," he said. "That one definitely hurts. Thank you to everyone. To the tifosi, thank you for giving us your love, I'm sorry we couldn't give you the result you wanted."

"I gave it absolutely everything, we just didn't have the speed on the straights. I was just mostly a sitting duck to those guys around me and up ahead, but we will look internally and try and figure out what we could have done better."

Leclerc was checked over at the circuit medical centre after his crash and said he would require more checks before next weekend's first Spanish race at the new Madring circuit.

"I think I'll have quite a few additional checks that we still have to do on my side probably tonight and tomorrow to make sure that I'll be fully fine for Madrid," he said.

"It should be the case, but better to be safe than sorry."

Y.Hara--JT