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Lewis Hamilton told Fred Vasseur will ‘send him home’ if Charles Leclerc feud continues
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur in the paddock at the 2026 United States Grand Prix
Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton’s conflict with Charles Leclerc reached a new low at the Mexico City Grand Prix as Ferrari lost a potential 1-2 finish.

The two Ferraris ran wide at turn four after Leclerc attempted a move on the outside of his teammate. He gained the lead off the track and held the position, while Hamilton dropped to third behind Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull driver would go on to win the race, with Hamilton second. Leclerc was given a five-second penalty for the first lap incident and finished fourth, marking another missed opportunity for Ferrari.

TalkingPoints

How should Fred Vasseur react to what happened in Mexico? Charles Leclerc's battle with Lewis Hamilton on lap one may have cost the team a win

Guenther Steiner: Fred Vasseur will send Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ‘home’ if drama continues

Hamilton was not happy with Leclerc, stating that the team had the car to win the race, but lost it on the opening lap.

Leclerc was also furious as he came back to the hospitality. He was accepting of the penalty and stated that he would have conversations with Hamilton, and no doubt team boss Fred Vasseur will speak to the pair of them.

The Frenchman spoke about how the drivers disrespected the staff in Maranello, as they put in the work behind the scenes, only for Leclerc and Hamilton to get in each other’s way and cost them valuable points.

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Ferrari need their own ‘Scarlet Rules’ to iron out any potential conflicts. But Guenther Steiner believes it will happen again, and if it does, he thinks Vasseur will send their drivers ‘home’.

“It’s a fantastic problem to have for Fred, but it’s a very not so fantastic problem to have,” he said on The Red Flags Podcast.

“It’s a fantastic problem, because you’ve got two drivers which actually have the talent to win races, but they get in the way of each other.

“But I always say, would you rather have one driver which is as good as either of them, I’m not prioritising, and then have somebody like Lance Stroll, would that make you happy? If I would be team principal, it wouldn’t make me happy.

“Obviously, they have got a problem to deal with. They need to deal with that. Do you think they will resolve the situation? I do not think so. This situation will come up again, because they want to win.”

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He added: “I think at some stage, Fred will say it. ‘Hey guys, if you don’t work for the team, we send you home.’ Otherwise, he tears his last hair out he has got.”

Martin Brundle does not think meetings will be enough at Ferrari, as Leclerc and Hamilton are bound to clash again.

The pair are separated by 14 points in the standings, with the latter sitting third, two points behind Verstappen, and the former sitting fifth, five points behind George Russell.

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