Hamilton says Ferrari needs 'serious talks' after Leclerc clash handed Verstappen Mexico GP win

Lewis Hamilton has warned that Ferrari must hold "serious talks" behind closed doors after a first-lap collision with teammate Charles Leclerc cost the team victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix, handing the win to Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Hamilton started from pole and led cleanly through Turn 1, but Leclerc dived aggressively down the inside at Turn 4. Both cars ran off the track, with Leclerc cutting across the grass and rejoining ahead of his teammate.

Leclerc picked up a five-second penalty for the skirmish. When he served it during his pitstop, Verstappen jumped a position, went on to win and Hamilton came home second - ahead of newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli, whose Mercedes teammate celebration he had just paid tribute to.

"Ultimately it was that that lost us the win today," Hamilton said. "I think we have to have some serious talks behind the scenes for sure."

A familiar penalty in reverse

Hamilton argued the drivers had already discussed the exact scenario in their briefing. "In the drivers' briefing we discussed as soon as you go off in turn one, you have to give the position back, obviously," he said. "Last year I got a 10-second penalty for that same move that he did."

In 2025 it was Hamilton who received 10 seconds after running off at the same corner while fighting Verstappen. This time the stewards reduced the standard penalty, ruling that both Ferraris entered the corner too fast to stay on track and that Leclerc was "not entitled to claim the corner".

Despite his frustration, Hamilton struck a more optimistic note about the team's trajectory. "The good thing is the team are working really hard. We've really improved our car," he said. The Scuderia outscored Mercedes 30 points to 23 in Mexico, slicing the constructors' championship gap to 126 points.