Hamilton Condemns Leclerc’s Reckless Racing as Ferrari Squanders Mexico 1-2

Lewis Hamilton has sharply criticised team-mate Charles Leclerc for a “do or die” mentality that cost Ferrari a commanding victory at the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion started from pole position at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez with Leclerc lining up third, but the Monegasque driver moved into second when George Russell lost momentum heading into Turn 1.

Leclerc immediately launched an ambitious outside attack on Hamilton at the first corner, aiming to complete the pass down the inside of Turn 2. However, he ran over the kerb and failed to make the move stick. The aggression continued at Turn 4, where Leclerc again attempted an outside pass. With space vanishing rapidly, he cut Turn 5 to gain the lead, earning a five-second penalty that ultimately handed the race win to Max Verstappen.

Hamilton crossed the line in second, ahead of newly crowned champion Kimi Antonelli, while Leclerc dropped to fourth. The result left Ferrari with just two victories across the 2026 campaign.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Colin McMaster / LAT Images via Getty Images

A visibly frustrated Hamilton pulled no punches in the post-race media session. “When I was at Mercedes, I watched and witnessed the back and forth between Charles and Carlos [Sainz] several races, where they were battling so much that the person ahead just pulled away, and they had the pace to actually win,” Hamilton said.

“But it is one thing when that’s happening in fourth and fifth, as opposed to first and second, and you lose the win. That’s significant.

“The guy is 28 years old, so I don’t think it’s an age thing. I think it’s a mentality thing.

“It’s like, ‘Do or die. Either I win or none of us do’, and it shouldn’t be that. It should be us getting that one-two.”

The clash marks the latest flashpoint in a tense recent history between the pair. At Zandvoort, Hamilton was held up by his team-mate and criticised the absence of team orders. At Monza, Hamilton lost positions after being forced onto the gravel at Turn 2—an incident Leclerc accepted responsibility for. Hamilton believes “serious talks” are now essential, though he remains sceptical about their efficacy.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Colin McMaster / LAT Images via Getty Images

For his part, Leclerc told Sky Sports after the race: “There was a gap and when you are fighting for a win, I will always go for it.”

“I don’t know what needs to happen now, how we discuss things when we go back,” Hamilton admitted. “I’m not quite sure how I want to engage in that. Of course, the frustrations are today. I’m happy because this guy just won the championship, so I’m really torn because, on one side, I’m happy, and on the other side, I’m really pissed.

“We lost valuable points, and we, as a team, worked so hard. We could have easily had a one-two today. Really, we had the pace to do so.

“We’re going into Turn 4 first and second. If we just hold position, I think anything can happen in the race. But when your team-mate works against you and then you lose positions like that, it’s definitely tough.

“So, we’ll just talk about it offline, and it’s not really worth saying too much more. We don’t have rules of engagement, and whether or not that will change anything from Charles’ side, I don’t know.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 via Getty Images

“We’ve just got to figure it out, but something needs to change for sure.”

Hamilton’s remarks were directed as much at the Maranello hierarchy as at his team-mate, with Ferrari enduring another season without a world title, trailing champions-elect Mercedes by 126 points.

“Fred’s doing his best,” Hamilton said of team principal Fred Vasseur. “I think Fred came and spoke to me before the race, and I think he was nervous.

“He just wanted us… Of course, he wants these two drivers to do well. From my side, if I’m coming from behind and I’m taking all the risk and it ends up that we lose as a team, then I think I have some answering to do, because it impacts a lot of people.

“But the other way around, I’m in the lead, and it was just unnecessary. I think we could have easily, as I said, had that one-two today, which would have been huge for the team and for everyone back at the factory who’s worked so hard to bring us these upgrades.

“I don’t really know what will be done because up until now nothing really has been done. So, yeah, we’ll see.”

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