Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has held clear-the-air talks with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc following their dramatic first-lap collision at the Mexican Grand Prix last week. The internal discussions took place on Thursday evening in Sao Paulo ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both went off the track on the opening lap in Mexico City while fighting for the lead. The incident allowed Max Verstappen to take advantage, with the Red Bull driver going on to claim victory ahead of Hamilton in second, while Leclerc finished fourth off the podium.
Hamilton was left furious by how his team-mate raced him at the start and subsequently lobbied the stewards for a heavier penalty after Leclerc cut the track. The seven-time world champion demanded serious internal discussions regarding team-mate rules, while Vasseur expressed frustration over a perceived lack of respect toward the team's factory staff.
Vasseur insisted that the message delivered to both drivers during the meeting was loud, clear, and focused on collective responsibility. He stressed that Ferrari must always take precedence over individual ambitions and that mutual respect is non-negotiable on the track.
The Ferrari boss said: "The guidelines are always the same. They are two competitors with a fighting spirit for sure, but they need to have respect for each other." He added that the drivers "need to respect the brand, the team, the people working at home, the people working on track."
Addressing Hamilton's claims that Leclerc races him harder than other competitors, Vasseur pointed to Leclerc's overtake on Verstappen in Austin as evidence of hard but fair racing. He noted that the line between hard racing and overstepping is fine, but emphasized that Leclerc avoided a collision in that instance.
Vasseur acknowledged that the team missed a golden opportunity to secure a dominant one-two finish in Mexico City. He stated that the collective failure required an immediate reaction and clear guidelines moving forward.
Vasseur said: "For sure, in this situation, we failed collectively because we were one and two and we didn't win the race at the end. That means that it's clear that we failed and we have to react." He reiterated that the team's interests remain the absolute priority for the brand, employees, and fans.
The Scuderia Ferrari squad will return to the track in Sao Paulo for the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix practice and qualifying sessions.
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