Hamilton unleashes furious team radio as Ferrari tensions erupt in Mexico

"The stewards are basically handing Charles this win," Hamilton complained over team radio, before referring to an agreement reached during the drivers' briefing: "We agreed, in the drivers' briefing."

The controversy began at Turn 1, where Hamilton successfully defended the lead against Leclerc. The Monegasque then attempted another move around the outside of Turn 4, but ran onto the grass and cut the chicane, emerging ahead of his teammate.

Max Verstappen also took advantage of the situation, moving between the two Ferrari drivers and pushing Hamilton down to third. Leclerc, meanwhile, found himself leading the race despite leaving the circuit during his battle with the seven-time world champion.

The incident created a particularly complicated situation for Ferrari. Under normal circumstances, Leclerc could have returned the position to Hamilton after gaining an advantage by leaving the track. However, Verstappen's move into second place meant that allowing Hamilton back through would also have required Leclerc to surrender a position to the Red Bull driver.

The stewards eventually handed Leclerc a five-second time penalty, but the decision still allowed the Monegasque to continue leading in clean air. Leclerc was able to build a gap of more than five seconds over Verstappen, effectively putting himself in a position to retain the lead despite the penalty.

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