Ferrari Urged to Penalize Drivers After Mexico Clash — SkimNews
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- Leclerc tried to overtake Hamilton at Turn 4 on the opening lap of the Mexico City Grand Prix, was penalised for the resulting fight, and the squabble allowed Verstappen to take advantage and win the race.
- Hamilton confirmed Ferrari had no rules of engagement for team-mate racing and called for “serious talks”; Rosberg said Vasseur needed to define what was acceptable, echoing Hamilton’s call after their September Monza first-chicane flashpoint.
- Hamilton called their race-long Chinese Grand Prix battle, which included brief tyre-to-tyre contact, “the best racing I’ve ever experienced in Formula 1,” and met with little negative reaction.
- Collins proposed a mutual team agreement backed by penalties, citing McLaren’s loss of a driver’s next-week qualifying preference when team-mate rules are broken.
- Vasseur said not enough respect was given in the Mexico battle but did not blame Hamilton or Leclerc; both discussed the issue with him, with details due to be disclosed when they face Brazilian media on Thursday, November 5.
- Chandhok said Leclerc needed a calmer approach to racing Hamilton and that Ferrari’s intervention was necessary because treating a team-mate differently was not coming naturally to him.
- Brundle said further flashpoints were inevitable because F1 drivers are hard-wired to attack a gap, even when they compete as individuals within a team.
Why it matters: For Hamilton and Leclerc, Thursday, November 5 is the next checkpoint, when the content of their discussions with Vasseur in Brazil is due to be disclosed. Collins’s proposal supplies a concrete consequence—loss of a qualifying preference—instead of office discussions with no repercussions, which she says is insufficient.
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