Charles Leclerc opens up about why he didn’t let Lewis Hamilton pass him at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc has opened up about why he didn’t give the position back to Lewis Hamilton after their collision at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Their race took a tough turn on the very first lap at Turn 4 of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, with both drivers clashing fiercely. This allowed Max Verstappen from Red Bull to sneak past and take the win.
During the race, Hamilton’s team radio captured him saying, “Got pushed out by my own teammate,” and later, Leclerc got a five-second penalty for going off the track.
After the race, Leclerc admitted he “deserved” the penalty, while Hamilton felt Leclerc was “working against” him and costing the team important points. Ferrari’s team boss Fred Vasseur stepped in, criticizing both drivers for showing a “lack of respect” for the team.
He said, “It’s hard to accept because it feels like disrespect — to the brand, the team, and all the hard work everyone puts in. We’ve improved a lot, and losing a win like this is really disappointing.”
Leclerc later explained why he held his ground and didn’t give the spot back to Hamilton. He pointed to Verstappen being close behind as a big factor.
He said, “At Turn 1, there was a chance and some space on the outside. I had good speed going around it. Then, at Turn 2, there wasn’t much room — both Lewis and I braked late and missed the corner. I cut the track, and then Max was between us after Turn 5, making things even more confusing. I didn’t get clear instructions from the team, so I decided to keep the position.”
When asked if he wished the team had given clearer advice, Leclerc said, “We talked briefly. I asked, ‘What do I do now?’ It’s always tricky in those moments. You expect to do something, but is it drop to second, third, or fourth? Fourth didn’t make sense, so I stayed where I was. This will definitely be a topic in our next team meeting.”
The F1 season continues with the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 8.
Looking back, Hamilton commented on his past experiences with teammates battling hard. He noted that while intense fights for fourth or fifth place are one thing, fighting so hard for first and second and losing the win is much bigger.
He added, “It’s not about age; it’s about mindset. It’s like, ‘win at all costs,’ which shouldn’t be the case. We should aim for a one-two finish because that’s still a great result. At Silverstone, I could have taken more risks and maybe lost the race, but instead, we finished first and third. That was better for the team, and I hope we can get better at working together.”
Hamilton said he gave his all during the race but felt the early crash cost them a big result. “We could have finished one-two if we’d worked as a team.”
When asked if they had planned how to tackle the opening lap, Hamilton said, “We didn’t discuss it beforehand. Racing with your teammate is fine as long as it doesn’t hurt the team’s points and chances. Today, we lost the win and valuable points. I lost second place in the championship, which is a real shame. It affects everyone in the factory and the fans. We still scored points, so we remain second in the constructors’ championship, but it’s disappointing.”