Lewis Hamilton refused to apologize for his comments about his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc after the tense battle between the two at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion told reporters in São Paulo that he had spoken candidly and had no intention of changing his position.
“Honestly, I don’t care how other people feel about what I’ve said. I speak from the heart when I’m asked how I am. I will never apologize for being genuine. I’m not going to stay silent,” Hamilton said.
The incident occurred at the very start of the race at the Hermanos Rodríguez circuit. Hamilton started from pole position, but Leclerc attacked him in the opening corners. During the battle at Turn 4, both Ferrari cars went off the track. Leclerc managed to emerge ahead of his teammate, while Hamilton dropped to third place.
Leclerc held on to his position and received a five-second penalty. Max Verstappen took advantage of the situation, moved into the lead and won the race. Hamilton finished second, while Leclerc came fourth. According to the official Formula 1 website, the penalty was reduced from the usual 10 seconds because Hamilton had also left the track and the incident had taken place on the opening lap.
After the finish, Leclerc described his penalty as deserved. He explained that the situation had been confusing, as neither driver had been able to negotiate the corner normally, while Verstappen had also appeared between them.
“The penalty was deserved in a way,” Leclerc said after the race.
The Monegasque also said that he and Hamilton needed to discuss what had happened. In his words, such attacks are part of the battle for victory when two teammates are fighting for the lead.
Hamilton said he had been angry after what happened in Mexico and was still feeling the same frustration. In his view, the two drivers had had the opportunity to finish first and second, but the battle changed the course of the race.
“I was angry about what happened, and I still am. We need to have a conversation. We could easily have taken first and second place in Mexico, but more importantly, we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” the Briton said.
The next Formula 1 race is the Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo. Before the race, Ferrari trails Red Bull by 124 points in the battle for second place in the constructors’ championship.