Lewis Hamilton Criticizes Charles Leclerc After Mexico Grand Prix Incident
Lewis Hamilton expressed clear dissatisfaction with his Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc following a tense opening lap at the Mexico Grand Prix. Starting from pole, Hamilton was soon caught up in a fierce battle with Leclerc and Mercedes' George Russell.
Both Ferrari drivers launched strongly off the line, jockeying for position in the early corners. Leclerc executed an aggressive overtake into turn four, briefly going off track to pass his teammate. This forced Hamilton wide, allowing Max Verstappen to slip past amid the chaos.
The stewards issued Leclerc a five-second penalty for the maneuver, but Hamilton did not hold back his thoughts on the matter during the race. On team radio, he said:
“Problem with the five-second penalty is he’s got clean air. He doesn’t have to manage like the rest of us. The stewards are basically handing Charles this win. We agreed, in the drivers’ briefing.”
Post-Race Remarks Highlight Team Tensions
Hamilton finished second behind Verstappen, while Leclerc came home fourth, missing the podium. Known as one of Formula 1's greatest, Hamilton made his views on the incident and his teammate very clear after the race. According to Crash.net, he stated:
“I don't know what needs to happen now. How we discuss things when we go back, I'm not quite sure how I want to engage in that.We lost valuable points and as a team. We were going into Turn 4 first and second. If we just held position, I think anything can happen in the race, but when your teammate works against you, and then you lose positions like that, it's definitely tough.We'll just talk about this offline. We don't have rules of engagement and whether or not that would change anything from Charles' side, I don't know. We've just got to figure [it] out. But something needs to change, for sure.”
He also reflected on previous internal battles within Ferrari and Mercedes, highlighting how conflicts between teammates can cost wins. Hamilton added:
“Before I joined this team, when I was in Mercedes, I watched and witnessed the back-and-forth between Charles and Carlos [Sainz]. Several races where they were battling so much that the person ahead just pulled away, and they had the pace to actually win the race.It’s one thing when that's happening in fourth and fifth as opposed to first and second, and you lose the win. That's significant. The guy is 28 years old, so I don't think it's an age thing. I think it's a mentality thing. It's like do or die. Like, either I win, or none of us do, and it shouldn't be that. It should be, us having got that one-two, which is still a good feeling.At Silverstone, I could have gone all kamikaze on him and taken him off and lost us the win, but instead a one-two was there, and I think we got a one-two, or was it a one-three? I'm happy for the team to have experienced that. I'm hopeful we'll work towards a better place in the future.”
Hamilton described Leclerc's move as "unnecessary" and claimed it cost Ferrari a potential one-two finish.
Race Outcome and Standings
Kimi Antonelli secured his first world championship title in Mexico by winning the race. Hamilton currently holds third place in the drivers' standings, 15 points ahead of Leclerc, who sits fifth. Ferrari will be eager to avoid further clashes between their drivers at the upcoming Brazil Grand Prix.
- Mexico Grand Prix - Top Finishers:
- 1st: Kimi Antonelli
- 2nd: Lewis Hamilton
- 3rd: Not specified in source
- 4th: Charles Leclerc
- Drivers' Championship Standings (Top 5):
- 3rd: Lewis Hamilton
- 5th: Charles Leclerc (15 points behind Hamilton)
