Brundle believes Hamilton sees a chance to gain influence at Ferrari

Martin Brundle believes Lewis Hamilton has recognised a chance to gain more influence at Ferrari after the Mexico City clash with Charles Leclerc. “I stand by what he said,” Brundle said, arguing that Hamilton had a platform to establish a more prominent role within the team.

Brundle called Leclerc’s move against a team-mate a poor decision. At Turn 4, Leclerc attempted an outside move, ran wide and cut across the grass before retaking the lead. The stewards imposed a five-second penalty rather than the standard ten, judging that both cars had carried excessive speed into the corner.

The penalty did not restore Hamilton’s lead: Max Verstappen inherited the win, Hamilton finished second, 0.799 seconds behind, and Leclerc dropped to fourth.

Brundle also drew a parallel with Hamilton’s years alongside Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. Incidents at Monaco and Spa in 2014 led the team to draw up formal rules of engagement.