Lewis Hamilton said he had experienced much tougher moments as a teammate at Mercedes than the current tension with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari. The seven-time world champion made the comparison after the Mexican Grand Prix, in which the two drivers of the Italian team lost a valuable opportunity for a one-two finish.
“I’ve had much worse moments at Mercedes,” Hamilton said. He specified that he sees no significant differences in the way the two teams manage relations between their drivers.
“Mercedes handled it well, and I think Fred Vasseur is doing everything he can. Fred came to speak to me before the race and seemed nervous. He wants these two drivers to perform well.”
Leclerc attacked Hamilton for the lead right at the start. The two went off the track, and Max Verstappen took advantage of the situation to win the race. Hamilton finished second, while Leclerc received a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage unfairly and finished fourth in the final classification.
The Briton described his teammate’s maneuver as unnecessary. In his view, Ferrari could have secured a one-two finish, which would have been an important achievement for the team and for the people who worked on the car’s latest upgrades.
“If I’m coming from behind and taking all the risk, and ultimately we lose as a team, then I think I’ll have to give explanations, because that affects a lot of people. But in the opposite situation, when I’m leading, it was simply unnecessary.”
Hamilton has already gone through fierce internal team battles. Fernando Alonso was his teammate at McLaren, while at Mercedes he raced against Nico Rosberg. The rivalry with the German led to several tense episodes, including collisions during races and a battle for the world title.
Against this backdrop, Hamilton made it clear that what happened in Mexico still does not compare with the tension he experienced at Mercedes. However, he did not point to any specific action Ferrari would take after the incident.
“I don’t know exactly what will be done, because so far, actually, nothing has been done. So, yes, we’ll see,” the driver said.