Verstappen says Ferrari needed a hierarchy after Hamilton-Leclerc fight

Max Verstappen says Ferrari should have set a clear pecking order between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after their opening-lap fight in Mexico City—a battle he believes helped him win the race. Verstappen took advantage of the duel to win, with Hamilton second and Leclerc fourth after a time penalty. He made the argument to Viaplay during the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend.

Verstappen said he would not put two number-one drivers together if he were a team principal. In his view, neither would yield if both thought they could win; he added that he has the same instinct. With a clear number one and number two, he said, Ferrari could have gone through the first corner first and second—or first and third—and still scored strongly.

Ferrari has consistently said its drivers are free to race each other. Team principal Fred Vasseur said he had met Hamilton and Leclerc, that the guidelines remained unchanged, and that the drivers must respect one another and the team.