Hamilton: Leclerc is racing me more aggressively than other drivers

Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc is racing him more harshly than the other drivers on the grid.

The contact between Hamilton and Leclerc on the first lap of the race in Mexico City took away what would most likely have been a Ferrari win, along with the chance to finish first and second. Max Verstappen took the win and gave Red Bull the victory.

After the race, Hamilton said "serious conversations" are needed about the way the team should handle incidents like this. He also questioned Leclerc's approach in these moments. He said the Ferrari drivers would sit down with team boss Frederic Vasseur to talk it through.

Some commentators suggested Leclerc was being deliberately aggressive towards Hamilton. They compared the Mexico incident with Leclerc's battle with Max Verstappen for the lead at the first corner of last month's Singapore Grand Prix. Hamilton said he felt the situation in Singapore was different, but that similar things had happened before with team-mates. As examples, he cited Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz.

The two drivers had a generally friendly relationship in their first two years together. However, some tension has appeared on track this season. On the first lap at Monza, Hamilton was pushed onto the gravel while the two cars were side by side at the first chicane. Leclerc later apologised for the costly contact. Hamilton said Leclerc had been at the team for a long time and that this would always be a challenge. He also said he had put a lot of effort into building a good relationship with Leclerc and working well together.