Charles Leclerc Downplays Mexican GP Incident with Lewis Hamilton Amidst Ferrari's Internal Discussions

Charles Leclerc has suggested that his on-track encounter with Lewis Hamilton in the Mexico City Grand Prix should not be blown out of proportion, even as his teammate voices the need for discussions within Ferrari.

During the race's opening lap at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Leclerc and Hamilton were vying for the lead. This tussle ultimately played into the hands of Max Verstappen, who clinched the victory.

Starting from third on the grid, Leclerc was the primary contender against pole-sitter Hamilton, especially after George Russell's Mercedes faltered heading into Turn 1. Although Hamilton maintained his position through the initial chicane, Leclerc made a bold move into Turn 4, attempting an outside pass on his teammate.

Both drivers overshot the corner, with Leclerc opting to cut Turn 5, temporarily inheriting the lead. Meanwhile, Hamilton's compromised line allowed Verstappen to slip through. Leclerc, who would have had to let both Hamilton and Verstappen through to rectify the situation, instead held his position, earning a five-second penalty. He admitted that Verstappen's presence added complexity to the scenario.

Reflecting on the incident, Leclerc explained, "There was definitely an opportunity in Turn 1. I had a lot of speed on the outside. Then, space was tight for Turn 2, as expected when fighting for the win. Both Lewis and I braked late and missed the corner. I cut the track, and with Max in between, things got more confusing."

Leclerc sought more guidance from the Ferrari pit wall but acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, saying, "It's always tricky. You expect to do something, but is it second place, third? In the end, I kept going. It will be a talking point in the next briefing."

Hamilton, expressing frustration over team radio, stated post-race that Ferrari needed to have a serious internal discussion about the incident. Leclerc countered, "We both made mistakes going into Turn 4. It's not like we had contact. We went straight, and Max overtook us. It shouldn't be a major talking point."

When asked about the need for stricter rules at Ferrari to manage the tension, Leclerc said, "We'll talk about it. I don't know if he was very unhappy with what I did. It was on the limit, but he might be more upset with how the situation was handled."

Leclerc lost the lead to Verstappen when he served his penalty during a pit stop on Lap 27. However, he remained ahead of his teammate. Later, a crash involving Valtteri Bottas on Lap 44 led to a restart. A lock-up into Turn 1 during this restart cost Leclerc a podium finish to Kimi Antonelli.

Reflecting on his race, Leclerc noted, "We had a good pace, but the secondary start was difficult. There were a lot of marbles on the track, and a lock-up caused issues. The last stint was tricky."