Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari need to hold “some serious talks behind closed doors” after a clash between the team’s drivers affected their chances of winning the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc cut a chicane on the opening lap while taking the lead from Hamilton. Hamilton then lost second place to Max Verstappen as a result of the incident. Verstappen went on to win, with Hamilton finishing second and Kimi Antonelli third.
“Ultimately, that lost us the win today,” Hamilton said. During a red-flag period caused by a crash involving Valtteri Bottas’ Cadillac, Hamilton had also told his team over the radio: “We’ve got big problems. Big, big problems.”
Leclerc said he planned to speak with Hamilton and acknowledged that both drivers had failed to make the corner. He explained that, with a Red Bull in second place, he felt it was worth keeping his position to see how the situation developed.
Leclerc also said he could be unhappy with Hamilton for pushing him off track at Turn One, but described the incident as part of racing when the drivers were fighting for victory.
Hamilton’s position is that, had the Ferraris worked together on the first lap, they could have run first and second and controlled the race from there.
The dispute adds to a series of tensions between the Ferrari drivers this season. Leclerc previously pushed Hamilton off track at the first corner of the Italian Grand Prix, while he later ignored a team order to let Hamilton past when they were on different strategies. Another disagreement occurred in Singapore, when Hamilton believed Ferrari should have allowed him through because of their differing tyre strategies, but the team declined to intervene.
Sources: BBC Sport.