Max Verstappen won the Mexican Grand Prix after Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc compromised their own race with an early confrontation. The two teammates fought for position at the fourth corner, pushed each other off the track and saw Leclerc penalized for an illegal shortcut.
Hamilton had started from pole position, but his hopes of a Ferrari one-two quickly disappeared. Although he finished second, the result did little to ease his frustration. He said the incident had cost the team an achievable double victory and criticized what he sees as a lack of action from Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur.
The clash was the fourth between Hamilton and Leclerc in eight weeks. Hamilton has been asking for serious discussions about their relationship since the beginning of the autumn and now wants clear agreements governing how the teammates race each other.
Hamilton also questioned whether Leclerc would accept such limits, arguing that the issue was not his age but his mindset. In Hamilton's view, Leclerc approaches their battles as if one driver must win and the other must lose, a dynamic he believes cannot continue.
Vasseur has complained that individual ambitions are damaging the work of Ferrari's 2,000 employees. However, the report argues that criticism alone will not restore order and that the team principal must use his authority to establish cooperation between the drivers.
Hamilton, who has previously experienced intense internal rivalries with Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, is also using public pressure to demand change. Leclerc accepted the race stewards' penalty but showed little apparent remorse over the incident.
Vasseur said Ferrari would seek to finalize a better working arrangement before the Brazilian Grand Prix. The team still has the constructors' title in its sights in the short term, while also aiming to develop a stronger car and establish clearer internal authority. Hamilton's position is unequivocal: something must change.
Sources: FAZ.