The relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Scuderia Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc remains in good standing following a private, one-on-one discussion between the two drivers. The meeting, held without the presence of team principal Fred Vasseur, was designed to clear the air following their controversial opening-lap clash at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Friction between the Ferrari duo had become major talking point in the Formula 1 paddock after they forced each other off the track during the early stages at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The incident arguably cost the Maranello-based squad a potential race victory, allowing Max Verstappen to capitalize and secure the top step of the podium. With previous tensions also noted earlier in the season at Monza, addressing the situation directly was deemed essential to preserve team harmony.
Speaking to the media after qualifying at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace Interlagos ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, the British driver insisted that mutual respect remains fully intact. He explained that the frank conversation allowed both drivers to air their perspectives without external demands, focusing purely on constructive feedback and mutual support for the remainder of the campaign.
"Fred hasn't cleared the air in the sense of me and Charles sat and spoke, and we squashed it and we're moving on," Lewis Hamilton told Sky Sports. "I think we still have a huge amount of respect for each other. I'm glad we had a chat and now we move on. We've been getting along just fine, as normal."
"Sometimes in those scenarios it just takes having a conversation, and there's been no demands from either side, it's just been both of us giving our points and areas that we can do better and support each other. I'm hoping to have better races moving forwards," the seven-time world champion added.
On the track, qualifying at Interlagos carried little sporting consequence for Hamilton in terms of grid position, as he was forced to accept a back-of-the-grid penalty for taking new power unit elements. Nonetheless, running through to Q2 provided valuable telemetry data and wet-weather mileage, giving the Ferrari driver crucial insights into car setup and tyre degradation in case race day conditions turn wet.
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