Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur confirmed at the FIA press conference on November 6 that he had met Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc the previous evening to discuss their intra-team battle in Mexico. He said their positions had been clarified and the existing guidelines remained: the drivers must respect each other and put Ferrari and its employees first.
Why the opening-lap battle prompted talks
The dispute began on the opening lap in Mexico. Polesitter Hamilton battled Leclerc, who had moved into second, before Leclerc crossed the grass and completed the pass off track. Hamilton lost momentum and Verstappen took second. Leclerc received five seconds for leaving the track and gaining an advantage; serving it at his lap-28 stop allowed Verstappen to emerge ahead. Ferrari ultimately finished second with Hamilton and fourth with Leclerc instead of converting its early advantage into victory.
Leclerc says the dispute is settled
At the Brazilian press conference, Vasseur called the failure collective. He noted that the cars had not touched, but Ferrari should have converted its one-two position and needed a clear reminder that the team, brand and employees came first. The existing racing guidelines were unchanged: he wanted professional cooperation, not a requirement that the drivers become close friends. After Friday practice, Leclerc said they had spoken, the matter was settled and his focus was back on the weekend.
Leclerc sees problems beyond missing FP1
There was a separate challenge on track. Leclerc sat out FP1 for Dino Beganovic, then finished FP2 seventh, about seven tenths behind Antonelli. He described one of his worst feelings in the car that season, planned substantial changes and did not think missing FP1 explained the lack of pace. Beganovic’s session had also been limited to 11 laps by a reliability issue, with no soft-tyre flying lap completed. Leclerc could draw on Hamilton’s data as Ferrari worked on its setup direction.
Hamilton was fourth in FP1 and sixth in FP2 and also described a difficult day. Bumps and low grip made it hard to bring the tyres into their operating range, with FP2 tougher than the opening session. Both regular drivers planned overnight work with their engineers. The talks had clarified how they should compete, while the immediate track task remained to improve balance and extract pace from the tyres and car in the local conditions.
