Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur was deeply unhappy his drivers failed to take victory in Mexico.
The pair went into the first corner side-by-side at the front of the field. However after both went off at turn four they ended the first lap with Charles Leclerc leading and Lewis Hamilton down to third place behind Max Verstappen. As Leclerc also collected a time penalty for going off-track, Ferrari’s competitive position was badly compromised, and Verstappen went on to win.Hamilton blamed the team’s defeat on Leclerc’s forceful first lap attack. Leclerc said he chose not to give his position to Hamilton as doing so would mean letting Verstappen past.
Vasseur said he was frustrated to see the drivers throw away the strong position they had at the start.
“The comments of Lewis, we’ll discuss with Lewis and the comments of Charles, we will discuss with Charles,” he told Sky. “What I see is the result.
“The result is that we had a win on the table. We were one-two in Mexico. The last overtaking in Mexico was in ’72, perhaps. And when you are one-two, you don’t imagine that you can lose the race. And we were able to do it.”
He said the defeat was difficult to accept.
“I think it’s just a matter of respect,” said Vasseur. “Respect for the brand, for the sponsors, for the team, for 2,000 people working like hell at home.
“I think we are coming back in terms of performance, we did a good step forward. We brought upgrades that the people at home are working night and day on.
“And honestly, it’s difficult to digest, for me, to give up a win like this. I will have time to discuss with them, but honestly, today I’m a bit down.”
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