Former F1 driver Timo Glock has urged Ferrari chiefs to prevent Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc competing against one another. The two Scuderia drivers have engaged in numerous wheel-to-wheel duels this season.

At the Chinese Grand Prix, they were repeatedly racing side-by-side in the Grand Prix, which ended with Hamilton claiming his maiden podium finish for the outfit. At the Japanese GP, Leclerc and Hamilton had another close-quarters tussle, but it was the former who secured the podium while the Briton had to settle for sixth. For F1 enthusiasts, witnessing the two Ferrari stars contest positions is invariably a captivating spectacle. However, when considering the broader implications, Glock reckons the likes of team principal Frederic Vasseur may need to intervene.

Speaking to Sky Deutschland, Glock said: “The line should be drawn very clearly as soon as the team experiences a disadvantage. If the two get in each other’s way and lose battery power, and the team ends up losing positions because of that, then the team management has to intervene.

“Ferrari really needs to take a clear stand, because this was already on the edge. Within the teams, the rule of thumb is: a duel is fine, but contact is absolutely not the intention. Hamilton is obviously trying to improve his position. Based on my feeling, I think that sooner or later we will see these two back in the gravel pit after a collision.”

Glock, commenting on Hamilton’s pace, further remarked: “Leclerc is still just a bit more consistently fast, but Hamilton is clearly back at the level where we all want to see him. He has confidence and fun in racing, even if the Brit wasn’t as competitive in Japan as he was in China.”

Once Hamilton found himself running behind his Monaco-born team-mate, Leclerc became embroiled in a battle with Mercedes’ George Russell. It proved to be another fiercely contested scrap, which culminated in Leclerc claiming a podium finish.

Hamilton was not so fortunate, left lamenting his car’s lack of pace. When quizzed about the contest between his two drivers, who even made contact during the race, Vasseur smiled and responded: “As long as we have the two cars at the end, yes, I’m happy.

“It’s a good emulation and I think everybody would prefer to have the two cars in front rather than one at the front and one at the back.

“I’m very pleased with this – they have huge respect between them and they know perfectly that it’s Ferrari first. They are doing a very good job on track.”