Lewis Hamilton ‘can’t pretend’ as Ferrari told to ‘be honest’ after Mexican GP
Lewis Hamilton has claimed one win since joining Ferrari at the start of 2025
Lewis Hamilton has told Ferrari to “be honest about it and learn” from an “incredibly frustrating” Mexican Grand Prix, admitting he “can’t pretend” that missing out on victory doesn’t hurt.
Hamilton claimed the first pole position of his Ferrari career at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez last weekend, but dropped to second over the course of a challenging race.
Lewis Hamilton: Ferrari must ‘be honest and learn’ after Mexican Grand Prix
The seven-time world champion lost two positions on the opening lap after battling Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen taking advantage to secure a third win of the F1 2026 season.
Leclerc was given a five-second penalty for his role in the incident, with Hamilton unable to find a way past Verstappen.
Hamilton was heard telling Ferrari over team radio during a red flag stoppage that it has “big problems”, with the 41-year-old calling for “serious talks behind the scenes” after the race.
In a post to social media, Hamilton said that losing a potential win in Mexico “hurts so much”, admitting that he cannot contain his frustration.
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He said: “Let me start with a huge congratulations to the new champion, Kimi Antonelli.
“To have seen your journey so closely and to be there celebrating with you was a highlight of my year. So well deserved and a record that will stand for a long time.
“It was great to see your team at Mercedes celebrating with you. Enjoy this moment, keep your family close, keep your passion and your energy.
“Our own weekend was one full of challenges. We had a lot thrown at us but our mechanics and engineers did an incredible job.
“We’ve grown so much together this year, and that progress has taken a huge effort from everyone on the track and back at the factory.
“That’s why losing what could’ve been a win hurts so much.
“We need to grasp every opportunity we have, so it’s incredibly frustrating, and I can’t pretend otherwise.
“I know what goes into giving us that opportunity. The standard the team holds itself to, the standard I hold myself to, the standard the fans expect.
“Everyone deserves to see us at our best and win. We’re all here to race and want to win.
“Battling is necessary, but when that battle costs the team, we have to be honest about it and learn from it.
“We can push each other to the limit and still honour the responsibility to everyone who put us on that track.
“I’ll keep giving everything I have. My belief in this team hasn’t changed and neither has my responsibility to help us get this right.
“Stick with us. I’m only just getting started with this team, and we have so much more to come.”
More on Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari from PlanetF1.com
Verstappen’s latest victory saw him move ahead of Hamilton into second place in the F1 2026 standings.
Hamilton now sits third, two points behind the Red Bull driver, ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos.
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