Ferrari’s civil war: Vasseur lays down the law to Hamilton and Leclerc

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 1: Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari walks in pit lane with Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari during the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on November 1, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images) | Photo Credit: Jayce Illman

Ferrari team boss Fréd Vasseur has told his drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, to respect each other after race incident in Mexico last weekend.

Vasseur’s comments were in response to a near crash between the pair in Mexico which cost Ferrari a 1-2 finish.

“There was no contact between the two cars and it isn’t always like that with two teammates,” Vassuer said.

He revealed that the drivers spoke on Thursday evening in Sao Paulo, but refused to give details of the conversation.

“It was good to talk and clear my position and their positions,” Vasseur said. “Now we turned the page and we are focused on the next race.”

The opening lap incident at the Mexico City Grand Prix started when Leclerc raced pole-sitter Hamilton wheel to wheel outside Turn 4. Both ran off the track; Hamilton lost a position to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Leclerc cut through the grass and took the lead.

Verstappen ultimately won, Hamilton was second and Leclerc was fourth after receiving a five-second penalty. Third-placed Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes secured the Formula 1 title.

“Certainly it wasn’t a good maneuver because when you have a 1-2 you expect to finish in a 1-2, and that did not happen,” Vasseur said. “The message is still the same; they need to respect each other. They are two competitors, with fighting spirit, but they need to have respect for each other.”

THIS MOMENT! 😱 Here is the first lap move from Leclerc on Hamilton, which is currently under investigation 👇 #F1 #MexicoGP https://t.co/IX0YtniiKo

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 1, 2026

On Thursday, Hamilton told journalists he was “still frustrated” with the situation in Mexico.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said in the same press conference he empathized with his Ferrari colleague; for years there were similar situations between Hamilton and then teammate Nico Rosberg.

“Fred doesn’t need any advice from me, but it’s like a déjà vu,” Wolff said. “You’ve asked me exactly the same questions for how many years ... 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. That was it, and then Nico called it a day. Four years, exactly the same situation.

“When there was an accident (between Hamilton and Rosberg), it was understood that that was the limit and that it wouldn’t continue like this. That’s why maybe it needed to escalate to that point because it’s all about respect to the team.”

Hamilton was third in the championship with 259 points and Leclerc was fifth with 245. Ferrari was second in the constructor’s championship, well behind leader Mercedes.