Vasseur Puts Hamilton and Leclerc on Notice After Mexico Clash

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has sat down with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after the two team-mates tangled on the first lap of the Mexican Grand Prix, and he says the point he wanted to get across was simple: the team sits above both of them.

Speaking ahead of this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Vasseur said he made that message clear in the meeting. He did not dwell on the details of the collision in the comments reported so far, but the message was aimed at both drivers equally, with no suggestion that either one was singled out.

Team-mate incidents on the opening lap are among the most damaging moments a constructor can face. Two cars from the same garage can lose positions in a single moment, and every point dropped matters when the title fight is tight. That is why team bosses tend to address such clashes quickly, often behind closed doors, before the next race.

Vasseur's comments suggest Ferrari wants the issue dealt with internally and does not want it to become a running story between its two leading drivers. Whether that approach holds will become clearer over the Sao Paulo weekend, when both men are back on track and the team's response to any new contact will be closely watched.