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Hamilton calls for Ferrari talks after Mexico clash
Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari must hold serious internal talks after its opening-lap fight in Mexico helped Max Verstappen beat him to victory by less than a second.
Hamilton finished second, 0.799 seconds behind the Red Bull, with Charles Leclerc fourth after serving a five-second penalty. Ferrari had the pace to contend for the win. Instead, it left with another discussion to conduct.
The trouble came at Turn 4 on the first lap. Hamilton and Leclerc both went off the track, with Leclerc emerging ahead of his teammate and Verstappen taking second from Hamilton. The stewards penalized Leclerc for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage, while taking account of both Ferraris going off and the incident happening early on the opening lap.
“Ultimately, that lost us the win today,” Hamilton told BBC Sport.
“We have to have some serious talks behind closed doors.”
That was Hamilton's assessment of the opportunity, rather than a victory Ferrari could take for granted. Verstappen still had to manage the race, the interruptions and the final restart, and did so well enough to keep Hamilton behind him to the flag.
Leclerc accep...