Vasseur says talks with Hamilton and Leclerc went well after Mexico incident

Fred Vasseur says a Thursday-evening conversation with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc went well after the incident between the Ferrari drivers at the start of the Mexico Grand Prix. The team principal said it clarified his position and those of the drivers, and that Ferrari would now focus on the Brazilian Grand Prix.

At the start in Mexico, pole-sitter Hamilton had to defend against Leclerc, who took the lead by going across the grass. Leclerc received a five-second penalty. Hamilton was left frustrated and made pointed remarks about his teammate.

Vasseur said he had not seen contact between the cars. He said the incident had taken on outsized proportions because Ferrari were running first and second; from those positions, he said, the team expected to stay there. He called it a poor move and said the penalty cost Ferrari the victory.

Ferrari’s instructions for both drivers remain unchanged, Vasseur said: they must respect one another, the team and the people working at the factory and at the circuit. He suggested frustration may have built up because Hamilton and Leclerc had started alongside one another every weekend.