According to Motorsport.com, former Formula 1 driver and F1 TV pundit Juan Pablo Montoya has argued that there must be consequences for Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after their first-lap battle likely cost Ferrari the win at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Both drivers ran wide when Charles Leclerc attempted to overtake Lewis Hamilton, who had started from pole position. Leclerc emerged in the lead, while Hamilton lost a position to Red Bull's Max Verstappen. The Monegasque driver was handed a five-second penalty for the incident, and Verstappen ultimately won the race.
Speaking on F1 TV's post-race show, Montoya urged Ferrari to impose consequences on its drivers. "There have to be proper conversations, and there have to be penalties," the former driver explained. "They need to know there’s going to be consequences for what they’re doing, because they should have won today."
Former IndyCar Series driver James Hinchcliffe, who joined Montoya on the broadcast, added: "Max is incredible. Red Bull executed beautifully. But this was not a race that Red Bull won. This was a race that Ferrari lost. And if you look at the tracks coming up, short of a miracle, I think this was their best chance for the rest of the year to get a win. They deserved it. They qualified well and their drivers let them down today."
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur called for respect from his drivers after the incident. "I think it’s just a matter of respect, the respect for the brand, for the sponsor, for the team, for the 2,000 people working at home like hell that I think we are coming back in terms of performance, that we did a good step forward," the Frenchman told Sky Sports F1. "With both upgrades, the people at home are working night and day. And honestly, it’s difficult to digest for me to give up a win like this. I will have time to discuss with them, but honestly, today I’m a bit down."
Ferrari will now look ahead to the Brazilian Grand Prix this week.
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