Leclerc declines to revisit Hamilton’s claim over their racing

Charles Leclerc has declined to address Lewis Hamilton’s claim that his approach changes when he races the seven-time champion, saying the dispute has already drawn too much attention.

The comments came after the pair’s clash at the Mexico City Grand Prix and a subsequent conversation with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur. Leclerc acknowledged that the story had remained in the spotlight longer than it should have, but offered no view on Hamilton’s assessment.

The Mexico City incident sparked the dispute

The flashpoint came on the opening lap, when Leclerc challenged Hamilton for the lead at Turn 4. Both went off track, and Leclerc emerged in front. He could not give the position back, however, after Max Verstappen had passed Hamilton. The stewards gave Leclerc a five-second penalty.

Following a red flag and a safety car period, Verstappen finished less than a second ahead of Hamilton, while Leclerc took fourth. Hamilton was angry about the lost chance for a Ferrari one-two and said Leclerc had raced him differently from other drivers, describing his rival’s approach as all-or-nothing.

The disagreement continued after the race. Ferrari chief Vasseur said both drivers had shown disrespect to the team’s brand, and the pair met with him on Thursday evening in Brazil to clear the air.

Leclerc wants the row to fade

Leclerc was asked later in the weekend whether he agreed with Hamilton’s claim. He declined to get into the substance of it, saying there had been too many comments and too much fuss around the matter. Asked whether the issue had become bigger than it warranted, he agreed it had persisted for too long.

He had missed his usual Thursday media session after travelling late following the birth of his first child. The announcement of the arrival came just before his first extended media questions of the weekend.

Leclerc was also asked about the friction that can arise when two leading drivers share a team. He agreed that such clashes are familiar at the top level, pointing to the history between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg from 2013 to 2016. While drivers may disagree, he said, they still have to find common ground.

For Leclerc, that appeared to be the practical focus after the talks with Vasseur: move past the public argument rather than add another response to it. His reluctance to prolong the exchange echoes a broader focus on Leclerc’s public-facing communication.