Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has told Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc they must show respect for each other and for the team after the pair threw away a victory in Mexico City. The message came after Vasseur held talks with both drivers in Sao Paulo this week.
Mexico City clash costs Ferrari a win
Hamilton had qualified on pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix but was challenged for the lead by team-mate Leclerc on the opening lap. Leclerc cut a chicane while battling to get past, earning a penalty that dropped him behind Max Verstappen, who had taken advantage of the scrap to pass Hamilton and went on to win the race.
Hamilton was angered by the incident and called for "serious talks" with Ferrari and Leclerc about how to handle such situations better in the future. Vasseur was also upset, viewing the clash as a lack of respect for the team's 2,000-strong workforce.
Vasseur's message to his drivers
Talks in Sao Paulo were delayed because Leclerc had flown back to Europe for the birth of his daughter. Once he returned, Vasseur quickly arranged a meeting between the two drivers.
Asked how the discussions went, Vasseur declined to reveal specifics but described the overarching message. 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."
He added: "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."
Hamilton's frustration and Vasseur's defence
At media day in Sao Paulo on Thursday, Hamilton made clear he was still annoyed about the incident, signalling agreement with those who suggested Leclerc might race harder against him than against other drivers on the grid.
Vasseur, however, is not convinced that is the case, pointing to Leclerc's aggressive battling with Max Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix last month. He said: "He said that he was fighting probably a bit harder with him than with some others, but if you have a look at what Charles did in Austin in the first sector, everybody said that it was magic."
Vasseur acknowledged the team failed collectively in Mexico, saying: "The line is fine between the two, but he didn't crash into the other car. 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."
He added: "But 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."
Managing two competitive drivers
Vasseur also admitted the problem was likely to arise when pitting two of the best drivers on the grid against each other in the same team. He said: "We have two experienced guys, two competitive guys. It's four or five races in a row that we are at the front, scoring the highest number of points after Monza and Madrid."
He continued: "For sure you have a kind of escalation that you all want to win races, and I think it's probably the downside of the system is that we have two competitive guys starting each weekend next to each other. But I think if we are P2 today, it's also because we have two guys very, very close, and we have to manage it, but it's a choice. It's a choice in the lineup, and I have the positive and the negative, but I will deal with the negative."
