Lewis Hamilton should consider leaving Ferrari now, with Charles Leclerc's opening-lap drama in Mexico City showing the team is not the serious organisation he thought he was joining, according to Tom Victor's opinion piece.
The seven-time world champion had to settle for second at the Mexican Grand Prix after both Ferraris left the track on the opening lap, allowing Max Verstappen to overtake Hamilton. "Ultimately, that lost us the win today," Hamilton said. "We have to have some serious talks behind closed doors."
Ferrari Frustration Boils Over
Team principal Fred Vasseur was similarly irritated, saying: "It's a lot of frustration for me, but I'm not the most important. I think it's a lot of frustration for the 2,000 people working for the project – and this I will need time to digest."
Even Verstappen sympathised: "Ferrari were really fast, I do think they made it a little bit difficult for themselves fighting each other and that's why I was able to capitalise on that."
Hamilton's Season So Far
Hamilton has one race win to his name this season, back in June in Barcelona, while Leclerc's sole victory came the following month at Silverstone. That is still more than 2025, when neither got the champagne out.
The Mexico City drama was not the first example this season. There was also frustration in Singapore when Hamilton felt he should have been let through, and the team's failure to sanction it added to the evidence against Ferrari.
Twilight Years Decision
Hamilton, who turns 42 in February, has shown this season he can still hold his own against younger rivals. Five of his seven titles came after the age of 30, and he was 36 when Verstappen denied him glory in 2021.
In 2025, as he prepared for his first Ferrari season, Hamilton said: "I'm getting the biggest buzz every time just putting my kit on. I walk out and there's the Ferrari sign, and I'm like 'I'm actually really here'. I'm in this beautiful old building that Enzo had his office in."
Given the prestige of the team and its rich history, it is hard to blame Hamilton for joining the Scuderia, but it might be equally hard to criticise him for walking away before his contract is up. A move away could be what he needs to get the right things out of his twilight years from a mental perspective.
