Charles Leclerc has said his differences with Lewis Hamilton are now "settled" after Ferrari arranged clear-the-air talks between the two drivers. The meeting came after days of tension following the Mexico City Grand Prix, where the team lost a race they had looked set to win.
What happened in Mexico
Hamilton qualified on pole with Leclerc third, and the pair were running first and second by the first corner on a track where overtaking is difficult. The situation unravelled when Leclerc attempted to take the lead, ran off track and was handed a penalty for the move. Max Verstappen also got past Hamilton in the melee and later inherited the lead while Leclerc served his punishment, converting it into victory.
Hamilton called for "serious talks" over the outcome and accused Leclerc of "working against" him and fighting harder against him than he would any other driver. Leclerc defended his right to go for the lead, while team principal Frederic Vasseur was unhappy that a win had been thrown away.
Talks delayed and held
The talks Hamilton wanted could not take place immediately because Leclerc returned to Europe after the Mexico race for the birth of his daughter. Vasseur ensured the meeting happened as soon as Leclerc arrived in Sao Paulo on Thursday.
Leclerc then watched as Dino Beganovic drove his car in first practice before getting into it himself for FP2. Speaking afterwards, he said he thinks "everything is settled" between the pair.
He told the TV pen: "Obviously, there have been a lot of things, probably too many things, said in the last week. We've spoken, I think everything is settled and I'm looking forward to the rest of the weekend now."
Vasseur's message to drivers
Vasseur, also speaking to the media on Friday, was unwilling to go into detail about what was said behind closed doors but made clear what he expects from his drivers on track.
He said: "The guidelines are always the same. They are two competitors with a fighting spirit for sure, but they need to have respect for each other. But, mainly and firstly, they need to respect the brand, the team, the people working at home, the people working on track. I think we are putting a lot of effort on this and the message was clear and will stay clear.
"For sure, in this situation, we failed collectively because we were one and two and we didn't win the race at the end. That means that it's clear that we failed and we have to react.
"The conclusion of the meeting yesterday evening was clear that it was a clear reminder that the Ferrari is coming first, is coming first for the brand, for the employees, for the Tifosi, and this we have to keep it in mind."
Leclerc's focus on car performance
Looking ahead to the weekend in Brazil, Leclerc wants the team to work out why his car was not performing in FP2. He said: "FP2 was very tricky, actually – one of the worst feelings I've had this year in the car, so there's plenty to work on. It didn't feel quite right.
"I've got some ideas and we will change the car quite significantly and see how it goes. I hope we can do a step forward because, even though I missed FP1, I don't think there was much performance in that. It's just that the raw pace wasn't great today."
