Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that face-to-face discussions between himself, Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, and the team are urgently required ahead of this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The pair have yet to speak about their wheel-to-wheel scrap from last weekend, but the urgency is real. Hamilton started from pole and ultimately crossed the line in second place at the Mexico City Grand Prix, but he is convinced that a potential 1-2 finish for the squad slipped away after going side-by-side with Leclerc on the very first lap.
That opening-lap moment had immediate consequences. Leclerc picked up a penalty for cutting the track, while Hamilton slipped behind Max Verstappen and spent the rest of the afternoon unable to recover the position. Speaking on Thursday ahead of the Sao Paulo weekend, Hamilton explained that a debrief hasn't happened yet because Leclerc returned home following the birth of his first child, while Team Principal Fred Vasseur headed back to the factory in Europe.
I don't think everything is going to get squashed and sorted out in one meeting but it is important,
Despite the frustration of losing a dominant result, Hamilton was quick to praise the broader momentum within the garage. "The energy in the team is really great. I think they've been doing an amazing job. We've really done a great job in these last few races, scored more points than anybody," Hamilton said. He highlighted the progress made over the final stretch of the season, pointing to structural changes and much sharper execution. "I'm so happy to see that. Of course, we should have easily had a 1-2 last race and so we've got to work to make sure that [it] never happens again. Ultimately, I 100% know my responsibility for the team, that's never wavered and never will."
Even with the annoyance of how Mexico played out, the seven-time World Champion views the friction as a necessary growing pain. Dealing with these intra-team battles now is far better than sorting them out in 2026, especially with the championships already out of reach. Establishing a firm foundation and proper rules of engagement now is vital if Ferrari genuinely wants to fight for the title in 2027.
"I don't think everything is going to get squashed and sorted out in one meeting but it is important," Hamilton added. "What we build now will put us in the right position for next year. In some ways, I'm glad we had that experience. Of course, I'd rather we won and had a 1-2, but from that you can learn and we can only really get stronger."
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