Hamilton vs Leclerc: the lap that cost Ferrari a win

Teams. 2 November 2026. Mexico GP.

Ferrari started Mexico from pole and lost by 0.799 seconds. A first-lap fight between its own drivers left Hamilton angry, Leclerc unrepentant and Vasseur talking about respect.

Ferrari took pole in Mexico and left without the win. Lewis Hamilton started from pole, Charles Leclerc from third, and by the end of the first lap the two of them had handed Max Verstappen the race. Hamilton finished second, 0.799 seconds behind.

On Saturday Ferrari shared its favourite photos from qualifying. The first one says a lot about Sunday: Leclerc in the foreground with his back to the camera, Hamilton below him, looking up.

What happened on lap one

George Russell, who started second, lost momentum into Turn 1, and Leclerc moved up behind his teammate. He tried the outside of Hamilton at Turn 1, then the inside at Turn 2, ran over the kerb and stayed second. At Turn 4 he went around the outside again, the space closed, and he cut across Turn 5 to come out in the lead. Hamilton ran wide in the same sequence.

The stewards gave Leclerc a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage off the track. Verstappen got past Hamilton and, with Leclerc's penalty to serve, took the lead and kept it. Leclerc finished fourth, Hamilton second (Motorsport.com via Yahoo, Grande Prêmio).

Hamilton: "do or die"

Hamilton did not hold back. He called Leclerc's approach a "do or die" mentality, said the pair need serious talks and said Ferrari had the pace for a one-two. He also said the team has no rules of engagement between its drivers, and that he does not know whether that will change.

He pointed to Silverstone, where Leclerc won and Hamilton was third: Hamilton said he could have attacked harder there but chose not to risk contact with his teammate.

Leclerc: there was a gap

Leclerc's answer was short. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said that when he is fighting for a win he will always go for a gap, and there was one.

Vasseur: a matter of respect

Fred Vasseur called the lost win a lack of respect for Ferrari, its sponsors and the roughly 2,000 people who work for the team. He did not put it all on Leclerc and pointed out that Hamilton went off as well (Grande Prêmio).

Why it matters now

Ferrari has won two races this year, one for each driver: Hamilton in Barcelona, Leclerc at Silverstone. A third was there in Mexico. Instead, a one-two would have paid 43 points and Ferrari scored 30.

The bigger problem is the next four races. Hamilton is third in the championship on 259, Leclerc fifth on 245, and both are in the fight for second with Verstappen and Russell. Two drivers chasing the same place, with no agreed rules between them, is exactly the situation Vasseur now has to manage before São Paulo.

Ferrari is second in the constructors' table on 504 points, 126 behind Mercedes. Profiles: Hamilton, Leclerc, Ferrari.