By: Ferrari leave Mexico with a victory that slipped away and an internal confrontation that began as soon as the lights went out, born of tensions that have emerged at several rounds this season. The battle between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton through the opening corners created a tension that the pair handled differently in front of the microphones as well, but one that effectively clipped the wings of a Ferrari capable of winning.
Fred Vasseur made the discontent even more apparent, appearing particularly angry only in his post-race interviews. That raises a question: “Why was a clash between team-mates, with victory still at stake, not handled more firmly from the opening metres, avoiding controversy during and after the race?”
Leclerc accepts the penalty, Hamilton avoids confrontation: two accounts that reveal the tension
The moment that ignited the debate within Ferrari came at the start, when Leclerc and Hamilton found themselves battling side by side through the opening corners and made contact. It was an exceptionally hard-fought duel, considering it involved team-mates and that, with a victory potentially within reach, it called for particularly careful management with little room for risk. Both made mistakes in the way they handled the battle, but their subsequent comments reflected two different attitudes.
Leclerc acknowledged that the penalty he received was justified, admitting that neither Ferrari had negotiated Turn 4 correctly. The Monegasque, however, explained that he chose to retain his position after staying ahead, while Max Verstappen managed to overtake Hamilton.
“I asked what to do and I kept the position,” he said, adding that he had good pace in the opening phase of the race. The situation became more complicated at the subsequent restart, when his position on the dirty side of the track penalised him.
The most delicate point, however, concerns his relationship with his team-mate. Leclerc explained that he would discuss the matter with Hamilton, without knowing for certain whether the Briton had genuinely intended to give him third place. He also maintained that Lewis had pushed him towards the outside on the exit of Turn 1, while acknowledging that similar incidents can be part of the normal dynamics of a battle for victory. It remains to be understood, however, why the Monegasque chose such an aggressive approach against his own team-mate: an attitude that does not seem to reflect his usual way of handling internal battles and, more generally, his driving style.
Hamilton, for his part, preferred not to fuel the controversy, although he made his position on the duel clear:
“I think you could see what happened and why we lost the victory.”
It was a response that shifted the focus onto Leclerc's move against him. The Briton then implied that everyone had seen what happened and why Ferrari lost the chance to win.
Vasseur’s anger comes after the race: “I expect respect for the brand and the team”
Fred Vasseur’s position made the episode even more significant. The team principal appeared to show the full extent of his irritation only in interviews after the race, stressing how difficult it was to accept such a result for a team that had the opportunity to occupy the top two positions. His words were unequivocal:
“I expect respect for the brand, for the team, for the partners and for the 2,000 people working in the factory.”
Vasseur reiterated that what happened would be addressed internally, with the aim of clarifying expectations and preventing similar incidents from happening again. His disappointment is understandable: when a team is in a position to fight for victory, losing ground partly because of an internal battle becomes difficult to accept. However, the timing of the team principal’s public expression of anger leaves room for reflection.
The issue, in fact, concerns not only the individual responsibilities of Leclerc and Hamilton, but also Ferrari’s ability to manage its drivers when tensions rise, as other team principals have shown they can do. If the clash began at the start and involved two cars from the same team, it is natural to ask whether firmer intervention was needed during the race, or whether the situation should have been clarified in the pre-race meeting, rather than simply expressing discontent in front of the microphones once the result had already been compromised. It is not possible to know in detail all the radio communications that took place, but the impression is that Ferrari struggled to find a common line precisely when it needed one most.
Cover photo x.com
Inside photo x.com
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Mexican GP 2026
