Source: Official Team Post via X
Nico Rosberg Suggests Ferrari Needs Stronger Leadership After Hamilton-Leclerc Clash
Nico Rosberg has advised Fred Vasseur to enforce stricter rules at Ferrari following a clash between teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at the Mexican Grand Prix. The incident saw both drivers run off track, with Leclerc receiving a penalty and Hamilton voicing his frustration.
At the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix, Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc found themselves at odds, prompting Nico Rosberg to suggest that team principal Fred Vasseur take a firmer stance. The race saw Hamilton, starting from pole position, and Leclerc jostle for the lead right from the opening lap at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Leclerc initially took advantage of the slipstream to challenge Hamilton, but it was his late braking around Turn 4 that saw both drivers veer off track. While Leclerc emerged in the lead, Hamilton also lost his second place to Max Verstappen. Hamilton's frustration was palpable as he remarked on the lost opportunity due to their on-track squabble, stating, "We’re going into Turn 4, first and second. If we just held position, I think anything can happen in the race, but when your teammate works against you, and then you lose positions like that, it’s definitely tough."
Leclerc, who was handed a five-second penalty for overtaking Hamilton off the track, acknowledged the incident, saying, "I was expecting to fight for the lead. We both made a mistake, but I paid with a penalty." Both drivers agreed that discussions were needed, with Hamilton emphasizing the absence of clear "rules of engagement" within the team.
Rosberg, drawing from his own experience racing alongside Hamilton at Mercedes, expressed that Vasseur must establish racing guidelines to prevent further incidents. The 2016 world champion warned that without intervention, the drivers might continue to handle matters themselves, potentially leading to further on-track altercations.
"Really, Fred Vasseur, he needs to start to act," Rosberg commented on Sky F1. "It needs to happen otherwise it’s just going to keep going like this. And it gets really bad when the drivers take it in their own hands... That can very quickly happen, and it’s already kind of happening."
While both Ferrari drivers were aggressive during the Mexican Grand Prix, Rosberg pointed out that Leclerc's actions were particularly at fault, especially during the initial wheel-to-wheel encounter in Turns 2 and 3. "Charles was bouncing over the inside into Lewis. He was not holding the line. So already that was too much from Charles, so he messed up already there," Rosberg concluded.