‘I’m really p***ed’ says Hamilton after Mexico Grand Prix Ferrari tussle

Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton has said he is ‘really p***ed’ after tussling with his teammate Charles Leclerc on the opening lap of the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Feature image credit: Ferrari Media Centre

Hamilton claimed his 105th pole position at the Mexico City Grand Prix, and his first with Ferrari, but the seven-time world champion could not convert that into a race win.

This came after a tussle with his own teammate, Charles Leclerc, who put Hamilton under immediate pressure in the opening corners of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Leclerc took the lead, having cut the corner at turn 5, gaining himself a five-second time penalty before falling to a net-second in the race behind the eventual winner, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. After a red flag stoppage, to Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas’ crash, Hamilton managed to pip Leclerc to second place on the restart. Leclerc soon fell to fourth, overtaken by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli who went on to take the drivers title.

The seven-time world champion was vocal over the team radio with his teammate’s antics, claiming the five-second penalty was pointless as he was in clear air early in the race whilst everyone else behind was managing. He stated Leclerc should’ve just given up the track position following discussions in previous meetings prior to the weekend. 

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Speaking after the race, in the FIA Press Conference, Hamilton said he doesn’t know what needs to happen going forward, in terms of inter-team fights. He said:

“I don’t know what needs to happen now, how we discuss things when we go back. I’m not quite sure how I want to engage in that. Of course, the frustrations are today.

“I’m happy because this guy just won the championship, so I’m really torn because, on one side, I’m happy, and on the other side, I’m really p***ed.

“We lost valuable points, and we, as a team, worked so hard. We could have easily had a one-two today. Really, we had the pace to do so. We’re going into Turn 4 first and second.

“If we just hold 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.”

Following on Hamilton confirmed the team do not have a ‘rules of engagement’ when battling each other out on track, like McLaren’s Papaya Rules. 

Mexico wasn’t the first time the two have had issues with each other out on the track in the heat of the moment, with Leclerc forcing Hamilton wide and almost into the gravel in Monza, and at the Dutch Grand Prix with Hamilton feeling he was held up by his teammate. 

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However, this latest spat is expected to carry on behind closed doors, but Hamilton isn’t sure if anything will change but the seven-time world champion claims ‘something needs to change.’

“So, we’ll just talk about it offline, and it’s not really worth saying too much more. We don’t have rules of engagement, and whether or not that will change anything from Charles’ side, I don’t know.

“We’ve just got to figure it out, but something needs to change for sure.”

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