Hamilton faces grid penalty after Ferrari engine failure in Mexico.

Lewis Hamilton wants face-to-face talks with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur and teammate Charles Leclerc at this weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix.

The demand follows a first-lap incident at the Mexico City Grand Prix that cost Ferrari a likely victory.

Hamilton started on pole and finished second, but believed a potential 1-2 was lost after going side-by-side with Leclerc on the opening lap.

Leclerc was handed a penalty for cutting the track.

Hamilton dropped behind Max Verstappen and was never able to recover the position.

Verstappen went on to win for Red Bull.

Speaking on Thursday ahead of the São Paulo weekend, Hamilton said talks had not yet taken place.

Leclerc was back home due to the birth of his first child.

Vasseur had also been in Europe at the Ferrari factory.

“The energy in the team is really great,” Hamilton said.

“I think they’ve been doing an amazing job. We’ve really done a great job in these last few races, scored more points than anybody.”

“I think we really levelled up, I would say particularly over the last four races with some changes we’ve implemented and our execution has been so much better, which is what we’ve been working towards.”

“I’m so happy to see that. Of course, we should have easily had a 1-2 last race and so we’ve got to work to make sure that [it] never happens again.”

“Ultimately, I 100% know my responsibility for the team, that’s never wavered and never will.”

While unhappy about the situation in Mexico, Hamilton admitted that having an intra-team battle this season — which has brought up issues — was better to have in 2026 with the championships already lost.

The seven-time World Champion also believes that setting a foundation and rules of engagement will be imperative if Ferrari are to challenge for the title in 2027.

“I don’t think everything is going to get squashed and sorted out in one meeting but it is important,” Hamilton added.

“What we build now will put us in the right position for next year. In some ways, I’m glad we had that experience.”

“Of course, I’d rather we won and had a 1-2, but from that you can learn and we can only really get stronger.”

Ferrari do not have formal rules of engagement between their drivers.

Hamilton said at the time that the team had “big, big problems,” later squarely blaming his teammate for costing them a shot at victory.

“The guy is 29 years old, so I don’t think it’s an age thing. I think it’s a mentality thing. It’s like ‘do or die. Either I win or none of us do’,” he said.

Speaking before this weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix, Hamilton was insistent he would not back down from his remarks.

“I don’t really care what everyone thinks about what I said, I wear my heart on my sleeve and I say how I feel in the moment,” he said.

“Of course there’s times you say things and maybe you might regret it afterwards. I don’t.”

“I’m never going to apologise for being authentic and real and I’m not going to be silenced. I have not been asked to not say anything and that’s just the way it is.”

Leclerc did not take part in media commitments on Thursday in São Paulo as he was attending the birth of his first child, so has yet to respond to Hamilton.

Hamilton maintained that Ferrari needed to address the issue but also noted that the pair have yet to speak to Vasseur.

Leclerc has been with the Scuderia since 2019 while Hamilton joined in 2025.

The pair enjoyed a good working relationship last year.

However, this season, with the Briton enjoying the better form of the two, the incident in Mexico was the third time they have been at odds with one another on track.

The seven-time champion was clear he had no intention of not fighting his corner on or off the track.

“He is very much embedded within the team and I knew that it would always be a challenge, I’ve always respected that,” he said.

“I’ve really worked hard to build a good relationship with Charles and bridge the gap and make sure that we’re harmonious and work hard together.”

“Naturally, it’s not so easy having someone like me come into a team because I’m very outspoken and I push and push and push for so many changes.”

Hamilton also believes Leclerc races him harder than other drivers on the Formula 1 grid.

Asked if he saw it that way, Hamilton replied: “Yes.”