Lewis Hamilton Criticizes Charles Leclerc for “do or die” Approach After Mexico GP Collision

Ferrari’s hopes of securing a commanding one-two finish at the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix unraveled on the opening lap following an aggressive civil war between teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Hamilton, who started on pole position at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, was left infuriated after Leclerc’s high-risk maneuvers compromised both scarlet cars, ultimately paving the way for Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen to claim the race victory.

Opening-Lap Incident Hands Victory to Verstappen

The trouble began right off the line. Hamilton led the field into Turn 1, while Leclerc advanced to second position after Mercedes driver George Russell suffered a poor exit. Rather than consolidating Ferrari’s track dominance, Leclerc immediately targeted Hamilton around the outside of Turn 1, bouncing across the kerbs at Turn 2 to retain second place.

The confrontation escalated moments later into Turn 4. As Leclerc attempted another move around the outside, the available racing room vanished, forcing the Monegasque driver to take evasive action across the grass and cut Turn 5 to take the lead. The resulting disruption allowed Verstappen to sweep past Hamilton. After stewards issued Leclerc a five-second time penalty for the first-lap incident, Verstappen cruised to the race win, leaving Hamilton to finish second ahead of newly crowned world champion Kimi Antonelli, with Leclerc dropping to fourth.

Hamilton Slams Leclerc’s ‘Do or Die’ Approach

The outcome left Ferrari with just two victories across the 2026 campaign, prompting a sharp reaction from the seven-time world champion. Reflecting on his past observations while racing for Mercedes, Hamilton openly questioned Leclerc’s race management and competitive mindset.

When I was at Mercedes, I watched and witnessed the back and forth between Charles and Carlos [Sainz] several races, where they were battling so much that the person ahead just pulled away, and they had the pace to actually win, Hamilton stated. But it is one thing when that’s happening in fourth and fifth, as opposed to first and second, and you lose the win. That’s significant. The guy is 28 years old, so I don’t think it’s an age thing. I think it’s a mentality thing. It’s like, ‘Do or die. Either I win or none of us do’, and it shouldn’t be that. It should be us getting that one-two.

For his part, Leclerc stood firm regarding his race start, telling Sky Sports: there was a gap and when you are fighting for a win, I will always go for it.

Growing Tensions and Lack of Rules of Engagement

The clash in Mexico marks the latest flashpoint in an increasingly turbulent partnership. At Zandvoort, Hamilton expressed frustration over team strategy after being held up behind Leclerc, while contact at Turn 2 during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza sent Hamilton into the gravel—an incident for which Leclerc later took responsibility.

Addressing the absence of team orders, Hamilton suggested that internal discussions are urgently needed, even if he remains doubtful about their effectiveness:

I don’t know what needs to happen now, how we discuss things when we go back, said Hamilton. I’m not quite sure how I want to engage in that. Of course, the frustrations are today. I’m happy because this guy just won the championship, so I’m really torn because, on one side, I’m happy, and on the other side, I’m really pissed. We lost valuable points, and we, as a team, worked so hard. We could have easily had a one-two today. Really, we had the pace to do so. We’re going into Turn 4 first and second. If we just hold position, I think anything can happen in the race. But when your team-mate works against you and then you lose positions like that, it’s definitely tough. So, we’ll just talk about it offline, and it’s not really worth saying too much more. We don’t have rules of engagement, and whether or not that will change anything from Charles’ side, I don’t know. We’ve just got to figure it out, but something needs to change for sure.

Why This Matters

Ferrari’s failure to convert a front-row lockout into a race victory underscores an ongoing operational dilemma for team principal Fred Vasseur. With Ferrari trailing champion-elect Mercedes by 126 points, the Scuderia faces another championship drought. Hamilton pointed directly to the hard work of the personnel at Maranello when evaluating the cost of intra-team conflict.

Fred’s doing his best, said Hamilton of Vasseur. I think Fred came and spoke to me before the race, and I think he was nervous. He just wanted us… Of course, he wants these two drivers to do well. From my side, if I’m coming from behind and I’m taking all the risk and it ends up that we lose as a team, then I think I have some answering to do, because it impacts a lot of people. But the other way around, I’m in the lead, and it was just unnecessary. I think we could have easily, as I said, had that one-two today, which would have been huge for the team and for everyone back at the factory who’s worked so hard to bring us these upgrades. I don’t really know what will be done because up until now nothing really has been done. So, yeah, we’ll see.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Charles Leclerc penalized during the Mexico Grand Prix?

Leclerc received a five-second penalty after running wide at Turn 4 and cutting across Turn 5 to overtake teammate Lewis Hamilton, which the stewards deemed an illegal off-track advantage.

Who won the Mexico Grand Prix?

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen won the race after capitalizing on the opening-lap battle between the two Ferraris, with Lewis Hamilton finishing second and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli claiming third to seal the world championship.

What are the ‘rules of engagement’ Hamilton referred to?

Rules of engagement are pre-determined team guidelines that dictate whether and how teammates are permitted to race each other. Hamilton noted that Ferrari currently lacks clear rules preventing teammates from aggressively fighting for position at the start of a Grand Prix.