Steiner calls Ferrari's Hamilton-Leclerc tension 'a good problem to have'

Guenther Steiner sees Ferrari's latest Hamilton-Leclerc tension as a difficult management problem, not a crisis. The former Haas team principal said both drivers are very good and want to win, making this challenge preferable to having one driver who is not performing.

On the opening lap of Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix, Hamilton and Leclerc ran off circuit together at Turn 4 while fighting for the lead. Leclerc cut across the grass at Turn 5 and emerged ahead, while Hamilton dropped behind Max Verstappen. Verstappen went on to win; Leclerc received a five-second penalty for gaining a lasting advantage off track.

It was the latest flashpoint between the Ferrari team-mates in 2026, following incidents at Zandvoort and on Monza's opening lap. Steiner said Leclerc's move was not wholly right, but not completely wrong either, and acknowledged that it ended badly. He described Hamilton as frustrated, said Leclerc did not back down and noted that the pair avoided contact.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has previously rejected calls for formal written rules of engagement, preferring informal team principles to a rigid hierarchy. Steiner backed that approach, saying drivers cannot be managed once they are racing, and expressed confidence in Vasseur to handle the fallout.