MEXICO CITY – A major rift has opened up within the Ferrari garage following a contentious Mexican Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton demanding urgent “showdown talks” after a first-lap collision with teammate Charles Leclerc cost him a chance at victory.
The drama unfolded on the opening lap at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where the Ferrari duo engaged in a fierce battle through turns four and five. Attempting to defend his position, Leclerc pushed wide and cut across the grass, effectively cutting the chicane to maintain the lead. Hamilton, forced off track by his teammate’s aggressive maneuver, was unable to recover his momentum, ultimately allowing Max Verstappen to slip ahead.
An incensed Hamilton immediately radioed his engineer, fuming: “Pushed out by my own team-mate.”
The situation escalated when FIA stewards issued Leclerc a five-second penalty for the incident, a move Hamilton branded as insufficient. Speaking after the race, the seven-time world champion pointed to a clear breach of protocols established during the pre-race drivers’ briefing.
“The stewards are basically handing Charles this win,” a frustrated Hamilton told his team over the radio. “We agreed in the drivers’ briefing [that] as soon as you go off in Turn 1, you have to give the position back. Last year, I got a 10-second penalty for that same move.”
While the race was later red-flagged due to a violent 200mph crash involving Valtteri Bottas, the interruption offered Hamilton a lifeline. He eventually managed to pass Leclerc after the standing restart but ran out of time to catch race winner Max Verstappen, finishing just 0.799 seconds behind the Dutchman.
Post-race, the tension remained palpable. While Hamilton insisted that the internal squabbles would be kept “offline,” he made it clear that the current dynamic between himself and Leclerc is unsustainable for the team’s championship ambitions.
“Tough day. I think we had the pace to win today, but it wasn’t meant to be,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “We have to have some serious talks behind the scenes, for sure. Part of the job and part of our contract is that we have to work as a team, which we could have easily done today. It’s a shame to see us lose as we did.”
Hamilton warned that without a “deep, serious” debrief and internal policy shifts, the team risks repeating these high-stakes errors. “It will continue unless action is taken,” he added.
As the F1 paddock departs Mexico City, all eyes turn to Maranello. Ferrari management now faces the delicate task of mediating between their two star drivers to prevent a fractured locker room from derailing their competitive season.
Disclaimer: This content is auto-generated for informational purposes only.
Source: Read Original News
