Just In: Lewis Hamilton releases angry Ferrari statement as Charles Leclerc row erupts
Lewis Hamilton released a first statement on Ferrari’s chaotic Mexican Grand Prix, after the Brit was denied a victory from pole and he then launched into a tirade at his own team. Not for the first time this season, Ferrari’s strategy has been criticised by their drivers, after Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were allowed to race each other at the start of the race.
Leclerc attacked polesitter Hamilton into Turn 4 but had to go off the track and subsequently received a five-second time penalty. Max Verstappen was allowed to overtake him during the pit stop phase and then went on to win the race, with Hamilton finishing second.
Immediately after the Grand Prix, Hamilton said that “serious talks” needed to take place after the Ferrari drivers fought yet again on track.
At the Italian GP, Hamilton explained that there were “no rules” between the pair and demanded that team chiefs intervene.
The Brit released a statement on Instagram after leaving Mexico and did not mention Leclerc by name, but congratulated Kimi Antonelli on a historic title win before lamenting his own “frustrating” situation.
Let me start with a huge congratulations to the new champion, @kimi.antonelli,” Hamilton wrote. “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.”
Ferrari have an opportunity to bounce back next in Brazil, the first of a triple header, starting at the Sao Paulo GP.
