Lewis Hamilton has called on the FIA to address the issue of engine "clipping" after a frustrating Mexico Grand Prix in which he finished second behind Max Verstappen. The seven-time Formula One world champion aired his frustrations during the race and in the post-race press conference in Mexico City.
Clash with Leclerc and Radio Frustrations
Hamilton's race was marked by a first-lap collision with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, which cost him ground to Verstappen. Starting from pole position, the 41-year-old lost positions in the incident but later recovered to challenge the Dutchman, though he could not prevent Verstappen from taking victory.
Untelevised team radio conversations have since emerged, revealing Hamilton's frustration with the clipping issue, which limits top speed and reduces overtaking opportunities. In one exchange with race engineer Carlo Santi, Hamilton was told he had "overtake and boost on the main straight," to which he replied: "How am I supposed to overtake the Red Bull engine?"
Cooldown Room Exchange and Post-Race Calls
The topic continued in the cooldown room before the podium ceremony, where Verstappen collected the winner's trophy for his 74th race win. Hamilton told the Dutchman: "You guys have just got too much power on the straights as well. Frickin' heck... It's so stupid, the clipping they have."
Verstappen responded: "I mean, I needed it with your cornering... Yeah, that's true. It really kills the overtaking into Turn 1."
Speaking in his post-race press conference, Hamilton made a direct demand to racing officials. He said: "We had let Max past and the race was done from there. You can't overtake here. I think it's something the FIA need to do and it's just quite bad."
Impact on Racing Quality
Hamilton described the clipping rule as "the worst engine profile setting that I think they've probably ever had in this sport," adding that it "doesn't provide great racing." He noted that while the starts were fun, the track is difficult to follow on due to thin air and low downforce.
He also suggested a possible change to the final corner to improve racing, saying: "I don't know if they need to change the last corner because it's so quick. I don't know. There could be a change to the track, maybe, to enable us to have a little bit better racing. But everyone having this [clipping] this year just diminishes any opportunity of that."
