Martin Brundle on Ferrari: ‘Hamilton and Leclerc? There’ll be another clash’

Ferrari had the fastest car in Mexico, but the battle between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton cost the Italians the win. Martin Brundle shares this view in his post-race analysis of the Mexican Grand Prix for British broadcaster Sky.

The 67-year-old Englishman (158 Grands Prix, sixth in the 1992 World Championship) writes: “Max was pretty quick in Mexico, but I think the tussle between Leclerc and Hamilton cost both of them the race, because Charles was later given the penalty and because the battle put Lewis in a rather poor position against Max.”

“Both went off the ideal line at Turn 4, with Charles ending up on the grass on the outside, whilst Lewis managed to squeeze his way round the corner. Charles should really have given the position back, but he couldn’t because the cunning Max Verstappen immediately squeezed in between the two Ferraris.”

Brundle points out: “They’re all racers by nature, and they work in this strange business where, as an individual, you operate entirely within a team environment. You’re judged as an individual, you’re rewarded as an individual, and when the adrenaline kicks in and the gap is there, well, it’s just as the great Ayrton Senna used to say: ‘If you don’t go for a gap, you’re no longer a racing driver.’»

“There’s a lot of frustration at Ferrari. Charles has had a few disappointments this year. It’s a bit like when Lando Norris collided with Oscar Piastri in the sprint race in Singapore; that doesn’t look good for the team, and you’re letting down the 1,500 people who build the racing car – not to mention the engines.”

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“As a driver, you’re the final link in the chain of this huge team, but you’re the one who has to deliver at the crucial moment.”

Brundle also thinks he knows what’s happening at Ferrari now: “The circus has moved on to Brazil. There, they’ll probably tell us something like: ‘We’ve sat down together and sorted everything out, and we’re putting this behind us now. ‘It won’t happen again.’ But in reality, we all know – yes, there’ll be another row.”