Lewis Hamilton ‘refuses to be silenced’ as Ferrari tensions with Charles Leclerc continue

Lewis Hamilton says he “won’t be silenced” as he is still pushing for “conversations that must be had” about how he and Charles Leclerc race each other.

Ferrari lost the chance for victory in the Mexico City Grand Prix as squabbling between its two drivers handed a prime opportunity to capitalise to Max Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton addresses Ferrari tensions with Charles Leclerc

It’s the second occasion in recent races in which in-fighting between Hamilton and Leclerc has resulted in a detrimental result for Ferrari, following on from its Italian Grand Prix back in September.

In Mexico, Leclerc attacked Hamilton into Turns 1 and 2, before an attempt to go around the outside of the seven-time F1 World Champion at Turn 4 saw the Monegasque go off the road as Hamilton went too deep into the corner in defence.

It led to Hamilton saying his teammate “pushed him off” over the team radio, before saying after the race that he believed Leclerc was “working against him”.

“So we’re going into Turn 4, first and second,” Hamilton said.

“If we just held position, I think anything can happen in the race, but when your teammate 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.”

Four days on, and Leclerc is yet to arrive back in Brazil following the birth of his child, leaving Hamilton to face the media alone for Ferrari on Thursday.

With the topic of conversation being the incident between the pair, Hamilton kicked off by saying that he and team boss Fred Vasseur are yet to have a detailed conversation on the matter.

“Well, we haven’t really had the time to speak much in depth.

“We have spoken, and I fully understand my responsibility to the team. We have so many people working so hard back at the factory.

“That’s why I’m always praising them. That’s why I’m always trying to show my appreciation for them and do my absolute utmost to help push the team forward, and I feel like I’ve been a big part of where we are today as a team, which is positive.”

Hamilton’s comments come after Vasseur’s own post-race comments, which didn’t single out either driver, revealed the Frenchman’s main issue was with the drivers failing to take the respect towards their team into account, given that they are just the two top employees in a team of 2000 people.

Hamilton appeared to dismiss this from his side, saying, “My respect has always been the highest in my team.”

Lewis Hamilton insists Ferrari conversations still need to happen

During the red flag period in Mexico, Hamilton could be heard saying over team radio that “we’ve got big problems”, seemingly in reference to the intra-team dynamic between himself and Leclerc.

Asked about whether he still believes that to be the case, he replied:

“Naturally, I was frustrated, and I’m still frustrated. Conversations need to be had, so we will have those when the time permits.

“Fred’s been back in Europe with the team. Obviously, Charles is with his family.

“We had an opportunity to win for the team. The team have done such an amazing job in bringing upgrades this year. They’ve been working flat out all year long to try and bridge the gap, given that we had the power deficit, and I think they’ve done an incredible job.

“We’ve made lots of changes in how we deliver on our weekends. We’ve really seen us taking some leaps and bounds, and we’ve scored more points than any other team in the last three races, three or four, so we could have easily had a one-two, and so we definitely have to work towards making sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Ferrari’s dynamic is unusual, given that the Scuderia hired a seven-time F1 World Champion, who is closer to the end of his career than the start, to slot in beside its long-term prospect in Leclerc.

The Monegasque appears to be a champion-in-waiting for the Scuderia but, due to this, there is no expectation of subservience towards Hamilton, with Leclerc racing his teammate hard when the pair are close together on track.

Asked about whether he believes Leclerc races him harder than other drivers, Hamilton bluntly replied, “Yes.”

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Lewis Hamilton explains why he won’t be silenced over Ferrari disagreements

With Hamilton’s comments post-race on Sunday being a repeat of his calls for rules of engagement, a stance that Vasseur hasn’t, or perhaps cannot, depending on contract statuses, address, the seven-time F1 World Champion said he “doesn’t really care” about how his comments are viewed.

“I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I say how I feel in the moment,” he said.

“I did see something that someone was saying that it’s calculated, the things that I’m saying, and I just want to combat that with the fact that when you’re in the race, your heart rate’s like 170, you’re driving 200 miles an hour. You don’t have time to be calculating what you’re saying and thinking, what you’re saying, the media are going to write about. You don’t think about that.

“Usually, your frustration comes out towards the people in your team, particularly the bosses, about decisions, and the stewards have always asked us to voice it when we have; if there’s an issue on the track, for example, if you get held up, you get blocked, they ask you to voice it.

“Sometimes, you say things, and maybe you might regret it afterwards, but I don’t, and I’m never going to apologise for being authentic and real.

“I’m not gonna be silenced. I’ve not been asked to not say anything, and that’s just the way it is.”

Lewis Hamilton determined to push Ferrari towards F1 championship fight

With Hamilton being introduced as a new signing into an existing long-term partnership between Ferrari and Leclerc, an arrangement that won’t end any time soon as Leclerc’s contract runs for several more years, potentially into the 2030s.

“He’s been here a long time. Eight years, and he has had nine wins with the team,” Hamilton said of whether this longevity is complicating how he wants conversations with Ferrari to play out.

“He is very much embedded within the team, and I knew that it would always be a challenge.

“I’ve always respected that, and I’ve approached the team. I’ve really worked hard to build a good relationship with Charles, and bridge the gap, and make sure that we’re harmonious and we work hard together.

“Always try to be respectful, and so naturally, it’s not so easy having someone like me come into a team because I’m very outspoken and I push. Push and push.

“I’ve pushed for so many changes, and I’m going to be pushing for more. And, as long as I’m here, that’s how it’s going to be. I’m here to win, and to be able to win, you have to work with everyone around you.

“You’re all rowing, trying to get everyone to row at the same pace and with the same strength, and you have to push, and I have to push. I have to be pushed also to elevate.

“We can all always elevate and be better. And I truly believe that this team can be fighting for the championship next year.

“I’m in the process of working with the head of Aero, the head of Vehicle Dynamics, to make sure that we hold on to the goodness of the car we have this year and fix some of the small subtle things that could be better. And obviously, the power unit is doing its thing and really helping if they’re able to pull through.”

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