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MADRID: Charles Leclerc and Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton said they had cleared the air face-to-face after a clash at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix but there were still no written rules of engagement between the pair.

Seven-times Formula One world champion Hamilton had called for written rules after being forced off onto the gravel by Leclerc on the opening lap and dropping from fourth to 10th.

The Briton eventually finished sixth while Leclerc crashed out. Asked at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday whether ‌anything had been ‌put in writing, Hamilton replied, “There was not.

“I’m sure ‌at some stage we’ll discuss how we can be better but we’ve not had a lot of time to turn around. You can’t change things in two days.”

Hamilton said there had been no shying away between the two drivers when they came to discuss what had happened.

“We sat face to face, just him and I, and talked about it,” he said. “We were just both open and honest and we squashed it. And ‌we can move on… I think ‌it’s healthy. It’s a relationship we have built over time.”

“Of course there’s going ‌to be frustrations… I’m sure there will be more times (where) we ‌are close (on track) because we are very close on pace. We both want to win just as much as each other and we both want to do well for the team as well.”

Ferrari are second in the championship ‌after 13 rounds, 122 points behind Mercedes. Hamilton is third overall, 76 points behind Mercedes’ leader Kimi Antonelli.

Leclerc told reporters he had reviewed footage after the race and recognised he had gone too far.

“I said it to Lewis and I think it’s very clear what we should do or should avoid going forward but I won’t go into much more details of what we’ve said,” added the Monegasque.

“The only thing I can say is it definitely did not affect the good relationship that we have and it will not affect anything going forward and that is the most important for me really.”

Leclerc said his crash at Monza at the end of the second lap had felt like a big one and he had suffered a tight neck for a couple of days after but was now fine.

There were early glimpses of just what Jaissle’s side could be – the intensity, the balls in behind, the grit, spirit and work rate.

Few embodied those qualities quite like new arrival Amar Dedic, who only completed his £30m move from Benfica on Tuesday, but what was just as striking was the performances of one or two of last summer’s signings following difficult first seasons on Tyneside.

It was Anthony Elanga who opened the scoring against Liverpool with a well-taken finish into the bottom corner while Yoane Wissa, who set up substitute Joe Willock’s second, is clearly relishing added responsibility under Jaissle.

It said it all that Wissa, a forward, won more duels (11) than any other Newcastle player on Sunday.

“The manager expects me to be a leader and lead the group,” the 29-year-old told Sky Sports.

“He wants me to be winning balls, making sure everyone is going forward, going for the kill, and sometimes just be calm.”

Jaissle saluted Wissa’s display, even if he could not help but add he also had the chance to “kill the game” to make it 3-1.

This was Newcastle‘s achilles heel last season.

No other side dropped more points (27) from winning positions in 2025-26 and predecessor Howe was the first to admit last May that “anything can happen” after he was asked if such a habit could seep into this campaign.

Yet the reaction of those Newcastle supporters who stayed behind to applaud afterwards was telling on Sunday.

“We were there for each other if something went wrong,” Jaissle said of his players.

“We acted like a unit. In such a short amount of time, this is a top starting point and the frustration was there as well, but these are the challenges we have now.

“With the pre-season, with the transition phase, it’s normal. Today someone threw stones in the way and we need to take that out to be successful again.”