Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he and Charles Leclerc “crushed” the simmering tension that had built up between the Ferrari teammates after last Sunday’s Mexico Grand Prix.
The two drivers clashed on the first lap at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez when Leclerc attempted an outside move on his teammate at Turn 4, sending both cars off the circuit before Leclerc got back in front of Hamilton through the grass.
The incident cost Ferrari dearly as Max Verstappen overtook Hamilton in second and then took the lead and victory, after Leclerc was then given a five-second penalty for gaining a lasting advantage.
This is the latest flash point in a season which has already produced friction between the two drivers, following a strategic disagreement at Zandvoort and a collision on the first lap at Monza.
Team principal Fred Vasseur later said that the accumulation of such moments reflected the fact that two highly competitive teammates were repeatedly battling on the track and that individual battles had begun to compromise the team’s broader interests.
Vasseur reportedly held debriefs with both drivers after the Mexico incident, but Hamilton made it clear it was a separate conversation, directly with Leclerc, that resolved the issue, speaking ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend.
He was asked if things were now going well between him and his teammate, speaking to Sky Sports F1Hamilton said: “Fred didn’t clear things up. It was me and Charles. We sat down and talked, we squashed it and we move on.
“We still have a tremendous amount of respect for each other. I’m glad we talked, and now we’re moving on.
“We get along great as usual. Sometimes in certain scenarios you just need to have a conversation.
“There were no requests from either side. We just each gave our points in areas where we can do better and support each other. I hope to have better races in the future.”
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Hamilton – Qualifying was a practice session
Hamilton’s comments come amid an ongoing debate over the need for Ferrari to introduce clearer rules of engagement for its two drivers, something Vasseur has so far resisted in favor of mutual respect and post-race mediation.
The seven-time F1 champion then looks back on a tricky qualifying session at Interlagos, where torrential rain prevailed.
The situation was further complicated for Hamilton by the fact that after adopting a new internal combustion engine before final practice, this system then encountered problems, leading to a complete change of the PU before qualifying.
After setting the 11th fastest time, even though there was no need to attack due to penalties, and knowing he would start at the back of the grid, Hamilton said: “I love qualifying and driving in the rain; it’s such an incredible track to race in all conditions, but especially in the wet.”
“I would have liked to stay away and fight a bit with everyone, but we had that problem in P3. We didn’t do many laps there, so it was basically a practice session for me to try to understand what it feels like in those conditions, just in case it rains tomorrow.”
Leclerc will start from 14th place due to a 10-place penalty after facing a new ICE.
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