Hamilton Says Leclerc Races Him Harder Than Other F1 Rivals
Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari still needs to clarify its rules of engagement after a tense opening-lap fight with Charles Leclerc at the Mexico Grand Prix. The two Ferrari drivers went off at Turn 4 while battling, allowing Max Verstappen to seize the initiative and costing Ferrari a potential one-two finish. Hamilton finished second and Leclerc fourth after receiving a five-second penalty for gaining a lasting advantage by cutting the track; the sanction had initially been set at 10 seconds before mitigation.
Hamilton believes Leclerc races him more aggressively than drivers from rival teams, a view he says is supported by Leclerc’s contrasting approaches elsewhere. In Singapore, Leclerc backed off despite being fully alongside polesitter Max Verstappen at Turn 1, while in Austin he overtook Verstappen around the outside of the Esses. Hamilton also compared the pattern with Leclerc’s previous Ferrari team-mates Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur spoke separately with both drivers after Mexico, but Hamilton says further discussions remain necessary. He stressed that the team had invested heavily in upgrades and had scored more points than any other team over the previous three or four races, making the lost opportunity especially frustrating. Hamilton, who is 41, also defended his criticism of the penalty, saying he was speaking spontaneously under race conditions and would not apologise or be silenced for expressing his feelings.
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