Leclerc warns Hamilton both Ferrari drivers know 'the line not to cross' at COTA

Charles Leclerc has called for a clean first corner between himself and Lewis Hamilton at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, after the Ferrari pair qualified fourth and fifth respectively for Sunday’s race at the Circuit of the Americas.

Leclerc’s message was direct: both drivers understand the boundaries, and neither should cross them. “We know what is the line not to cross,” he said. “I think we’ve got some occasions throughout the year where I’ve crossed it, Lewis crossed it and we don’t want to see that.”

The warning carries clear context. At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza earlier this season, the two Ferrari team-mates made contact on the opening lap. Hamilton lunged up the inside at Turn 1, and Leclerc held his line through Turn 2, pushing his team-mate off the circuit. Hamilton fell from fourth to tenth before recovering to sixth, while Leclerc’s race ended on the second lap in a crash. Hamilton was blunt in his assessment afterwards: “Here, there are no rules. We need to address that.” Leclerc himself conceded: “It’s true that we went too far.”

With both Ferraris lined up close together for the long run up the hill to Turn 1 at COTA — a notoriously aggressive braking zone where position changes hands quickly — the potential for a repeat flashpoint is obvious. Leclerc confirmed the team had not issued formal instructions for the opening stint, but said mutual understanding was sufficient.

On the broader question of teamwork during the race, Leclerc was measured. He noted that COTA does not offer the same strategic opportunities for coordinated team tactics as a street circuit like Singapore, but stressed that simply avoiding contact with each other remained the priority regardless of venue.

Both drivers will be looking to make early gains from the second row of the second half of the grid, with the constructors’ championship still in play for Ferrari as the season enters its final stretch.