Hamilton criticises Leclerc’s all-or-nothing approach after Mexico City fight

After Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc fought for the lead on the opening lap of Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix, Hamilton called on his Ferrari team-mate to change his approach to wheel-to-wheel racing. He described Leclerc’s mindset as “Do or die. Either I win or none of us do” and said Ferrari should be aiming for a one-two.

Leclerc was later given a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off the track. The penalty eventually handed the lead to Max Verstappen, who had moved ahead of Hamilton during the opening-lap skirmish.

Hamilton had started from pole after taking his first pole position with Ferrari on Saturday. He said the stakes were different in a fight for first and second than in one for fourth and fifth: the former could cost Ferrari a win. At Silverstone earlier in 2026, he said he could have taken Leclerc out but chose not to, pointing to Ferrari’s one-two there as the result the team-mates should protect.

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur accused both drivers of lacking respect after the race. An opening-lap tussle with Leclerc at Monza earlier in 2026 had also left Hamilton several places down. Hamilton said he hoped Ferrari could work towards a better working environment.