Lewis Hamilton has stated that Ferrari possessed the pace to secure both first and second place during the Mexico City Grand Prix, but an aggressive start-line battle with teammate Charles Leclerc likely cost the team the victory. The seven-time World Champion secured his maiden pole position for the Scuderia ahead of the 71-lap race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, maintaining a strong advantage through the long run to Turn 1.
However, Leclerc moved to the outside in the braking zone, resulting in the pair running side-by-side through the opening corners. While Hamilton initially stayed ahead, both drivers went deep into Turn 4 and off the track. Hamilton attempted to rejoin the circuit immediately, whereas Leclerc crossed the grass to take the lead. This loss of momentum allowed eventual race winner Max Verstappen to pass Hamilton. The stewards issued Leclerc a five-second penalty for the incident but did not impose a harsher punishment because Hamilton had also left the track.
Leclerc subsequently lost the lead to Verstappen after serving his penalty during a pit stop, while Hamilton moved ahead of his teammate following a mid-race restart triggered by a red flag. Although Hamilton challenged Verstappen until the end to finish second, he expressed visible frustration regarding his teammate's actions. He noted that in the drivers' briefing, it was established that any driver going off at Turn 1 must yield the position, citing a previous 10-second penalty he received for a similar maneuver last year.
Hamilton emphasized that this specific incident was the reason the team lost the win and insisted that serious talks are necessary behind the scenes. He highlighted that every decision made in the car impacts the entire workforce and stressed that working as a team is part of their contract. While acknowledging that close battles with teammates can occur, Hamilton argued that such errors should be avoidable nine times out of ten. He confirmed that the matter will be addressed offline through deep conversations to ensure it does not happen again.
Sources: Formula 1.