Hamilton publicly accused Leclerc of hard racing ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix

Conflict within Ferrari has gone public

Ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton publicly voiced his displeasure with his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. According to Life.ru, the seven-time world champion agreed that the Monegasque races him harder, than against some other rivals, and cited other episodes from the season as examples. «I was annoyed and I am still annoyed. So the conversations need to happen,» Hamilton said. By the time he spoke to the press, the drivers had not yet discussed what happened in person.

What happened in Mexico

The complaints stem from the start of the Mexico City Grand Prix. Hamilton started the race from pole — for the first time in three years he had won a Formula 1 qualifying session, and it was precisely at this round. Leclerc started third. In the opening corners, the Ferrari drivers engaged in a fierce battle, after which Leclerc cut a section of the track, moved ahead, and later received a five-second penalty. Hamilton lost a position to Max Verstappen and finished second; Verstappen ultimately took the win.

Team management's reaction and season context

Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur also expressed displeasure with the drivers' actions after the race: in his words, the team missed the chance to achieve a stronger result, and such episodes need to be addressed within the team. Hamilton believes Ferrari could have contended for a one-two finish in Mexico, but the internal battle prevented that from happening. Tension between the teammates had arisen before — close episodes occurred in the Netherlands, Italy and China. The conflict carries extra significance because Ferrari sits second in the Constructors' Championship and is fighting for a strong result at the end of the season. The São Paulo Grand Prix schedule, including the qualifying and race times,has been compiled by Life.ru in a separate article.