Sao Paulo (AFP) – High tension at Ferrari: after the incident at the Mexican Grand Prix, the team's director, Fred Vasseur, seems powerless in the face of the fight of egos between Lewis Hamilton, accused of behaving like Al Capone, and a very aggressive Charles Leclerc on the track.

First modification: 06/11/2026 - 16:59

Rivalry is common between the drivers of a leading team like the legendary Prancing Horse team. But it had been kept more or less under control until the Briton and the Monegasque engaged in a raw battle from the first corners of the race in Mexico last Sunday.

After starting from pole position and third position, respectively, Hamilton and Leclerc nearly collided and briefly went off the track. They finished second and fourth, instead of achieving a possible double, and left the victory to Max Verstappen's Red Bull.

The 41-year-old Englishman, with seven world titles and 400 F1 Grands Prix under his belt, including this Sunday's one in Brazil, has been angry ever since.

At that same moment, Hamilton demanded a sanction against Leclerc on his car's radio, who, according to him, risked "everything for everything." And on Thursday, in Sao Paulo, he was "obviously upset" by this new incident with his teammate.

"Difficult to digest"

Assuring that he "really cares very little what people think of his open-hearted comments", the Briton accused the Monegasque of being more aggressive with his own Ferrari teammates than with his rivals.

"I see the same thing as you (...) If we look at his teammates, it was the same with Sebastian (Vettel) and Carlos (Sainz)," both former Scuderia drivers, he stated.

Hamilton is even more upset with Leclerc because he had already ruined his race start in September at Monza, where he pushed him into the gravel at the first chicane.

The 29-year-old Monegasque then acknowledged the mistake: "After reviewing the sequence, we spoke to Lewis. I know, of course, that I went too far in turn number two and I told Lewis about it. I think what we should do or avoid in the future is very clear."

These words had no consequences in Mexico and a new exchange of views between the two teammates will be necessary.

Hamilton has demanded a real "conversation" about "big problems" within Ferrari, especially regarding the rules in the event of a duel in the race.

For the British, the explanation must occur when they return to Europe and must be given by the team director, Frédéric Vasseur, rarely immune to criticism from the Italian sports press.

The French engineer, who arrived in Maranello in 2023, has seemed disarmed these days in the face of this war of egos between his pilots, although he seemed to disavow Leclerc for the incident in Mexico, which will be "difficult for him to digest."

Leclerc exempt from press conferences

Charles Leclerc, for his part, has taken some distance from the events: after the Mexican Grand Prix, he returned to Europe to be with his wife Alexandra, who gave birth on Tuesday to a daughter, Bianca.

Exempt from his obligations with the press on Thursday in Sao Paulo, he has not yet returned to the subject, but he will also be on the track starting Friday.

Former driver Ralf Schumacher criticized Hamilton's anger.

"There is no call for a radio penalty against your own teammate!" "Talking like Al Capone and threatening, 'We have a big problem,' is like the dog laying down the law to its owner," he said.

With four races remaining, the strong internal tensions at Ferrari benefit Mercedes.

The Silver Arrows team is practically certain to win the constructors' title, perhaps even this Sunday, with a 126-point lead over Ferrari.

© 2026 AFP

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