Ferrari Team Principal Criticizes Drivers Over Mexico GP Collision

Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur voiced sharp criticism following an intra-team collision on the opening lap of the Mexico City Grand Prix that derailed the team's chances of securing a race victory. Vasseur stated that the incident demonstrated a lack of respect for the organization and its personnel after drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc raced each other too aggressively during the early stages of the event.

The race started with strong performance indicators as polesitter Hamilton maintained his lead off the line, while Leclerc advanced from third to second place on the opening lap. However, as both drivers contested the same space at Turn 4, their cars ran wide, allowing Red Bull driver Max Verstappen to capitalize and eventually claim the victory.

Leclerc took the lead temporarily by cutting across the grass after the incident, later serving a five-second time penalty that ultimately handed the advantage to Verstappen. Following a subsequent red flag period and race resumption, Hamilton climbed back to finish second, while Leclerc secured fourth place.

Speaking to the media after the race, Vasseur did not conceal his disappointment, noting that the team had made substantial performance improvements over recent events. He emphasized that the primary issue was not track layout challenges, but rather a lack of consideration for the thousands of staff members working behind the scenes.

"They are working for a group. They are working for a lot of sponsors. They are working for the 2,000 people of the company," Vasseur said, adding that the team's mechanics and engineers work continuously to supply upgrades. He noted that pre-race discussions had focused on mutual respect rather than specific corner-by-corner protocols.

Leclerc pointed to the challenges of the track layout and suggested that clearer guidance from the pit wall regarding position-swapping would have helped. Vasseur acknowledged the difficulty in communicating rapidly with race control before the mandatory return-position deadline at Turn 11, but maintained that the drivers were expected to handle such situations independently.

Despite the disappointment in Mexico, Vasseur noted that the SF-26 car possesses race-winning pace and that the team is performing competitively alongside rival constructors. Ferrari intends to address the situation internally before heading to the next round in Sao Paulo.

In financial developments, Ferrari raised its outlook for 2026 during the same period, reporting a 12% rise in operating profit to 563 million euros for the third quarter. Despite a slight reduction in total vehicle shipments, custom options and strong demand for models like the F80 supercar have extended the company's order book well into 2028.