Lewis Hamilton has indicated he is open to giving team-mate Charles Leclerc a tow in a potential Ferrari team game in qualifying for Formula 1‘s Italian Grand Prix.
The Briton approaches qualifying on Saturday in a surely buoyant fashion after taking top spot in FP1 at Monza on Friday.
Leclerc, with second in both sessions, completed a strong showing, giving the partisan tifosi a glimmer of hope that the SF-25 can propel both men towards the front of the grid.
It is not unheard of for teams to utilise one driver, particularly in Q3, to give the other a tow on a long straight, helping them secure as good a grid position as possible.
Monza is, of course, going to provide opportunities for this, particularly on its long start-finish straight, which could sway the Scuderia to consider the idea.
When asked if it had been discussed already, Hamilton told media including Motorsport Week that it had not, but revealed how Ferrari often did in the early part of his career.
“No, no. I know that Ferrari used to do it many years ago,” he said.
“I remember when I started, at least, I noticed they, I think Kimi [Raikkonen] and Felipe [Massa] used to do that often.”
Hamilton explained the risk factor behind one driver giving the other a tow, but indicated that he would not be adverse to the idea if it was broached.
“It obviously can be beneficial, but I’ve never, in my past, it felt like there was more risk and often one person had to be sacrificed often for it,” he said.
“So I’m not sure whether or not they will do that this weekend. It’s not been discussed. But if it meant getting, obviously, I, even if we had the pace, I couldn’t be on pole.
“But if it meant getting Charles there, then I would be happy to play that role.”
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