Hamilton fires warning after Ferrari penalty threat and Leclerc feud.

F1 legend Lewis Hamilton thought there was a 'conspiracy' against him after a controversial Mercedes decision.

The decision was made ahead of the 2016 season.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff swapped the entire mechanic crews between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s cars without warning either driver.

Hamilton’s regular mechanics were moved to Rosberg’s car.

Rosberg’s mechanics were moved to Hamilton’s car.

The change was made without consulting either driver.

Rosberg revealed the story on the Beyond the Grid podcast.

He described walking into the garage at the Melbourne Grand Prix and seeing his mechanics standing next to a different car.

“My mechanics are my family, so I come into the garage, Melbourne, Friday free practice, and my family is on Lewis’s car,” Rosberg said.

“So I’m thinking they must have put my car on the other side for some reason. I look at the car number; it’s Lewis’s car. So I’m like, ‘What on earth is going on here?’

“And then I get informed. ‘Yeah, there’s been a change, and you weren’t consulted.’”

Rosberg said the relationship between the two crews had become toxic.

Mechanics and engineers had started competing against each other, wanting their own driver to win.

Information was no longer being shared openly between the two sides of the garage.

Wolff saw the problem and decided to take drastic action.

“Toto was aware of this, and so he did such an extreme chop, like came in so hard without any warning to anybody, and then switched our mechanics over,” Rosberg said.

Rosberg admitted it was not a “healthy” position for the team.

He also said the change made Hamilton suspicious.

“Lewis would occasionally think there was a ‘conspiracy’ against him at Mercedes after the team made a controversial decision,” Rosberg claimed.

Hamilton and Rosberg were teammates at Mercedes from 2013 to 2016.

Their rivalry became one of the most intense in F1 history.

In 2014 and 2015, Hamilton won the world championship.

In 2016, Rosberg won his first and only title.

He retired immediately after that season.

The mechanic swap was one of the most aggressive internal moves ever made by a team principal.

It was designed to stop the garage from splitting into two warring camps.

But it came at a cost.

Hamilton felt his own team had taken his support crew away from him.

Rosberg described the mechanics who were moved onto Hamilton’s car as “my enemies.”

He then corrected himself: “Not my enemies, but they’re my… they want Lewis to win, not me.”

The incident has resurfaced now because of Hamilton’s current tensions at Ferrari.

Hamilton joined Ferrari at the start of the 2025 season.

He has clashed with teammate Charles Leclerc in recent races.

At the Mexico City Grand Prix, the two Ferrari drivers fought on track and lost a potential victory.

Leclerc attacked Hamilton into Turns 1 and 2.

At Turn 4, Leclerc tried to go around the outside of Hamilton.

Hamilton defended deep into the corner, and Leclerc went off the road.

Hamilton said over team radio that Leclerc “pushed him off.”

After the race, Hamilton said he believed Leclerc was “working against him.”

“So we’re going into Turn 4, first and second,” Hamilton said.

“If we just held position, I think anything can happen in the race, but when your teammate works against you, and then you lose positions like that, it’s definitely tough.”

Hamilton called for “serious talks” within the team.

He also said Ferrari does not have clear “rules of engagement” for its drivers.

Leclerc has not yet responded publicly to Hamilton’s comments.

He missed the media availability in Brazil due to the birth of his child.

Hamilton faced the press alone in Sao Paulo.

He said he and team boss Fred Vasseur have not had a detailed conversation about the incident.

“Well, we haven’t really had the time to speak much in depth,” Hamilton said.

“We have spoken, and I fully understand my responsibility to the team.”

Hamilton has admitted that his outspoken nature has made his move to Ferrari more difficult.

“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,” he said.

“Push for so many changes. And I’m going to be pushing for more. And as long as I’m here, that’s how it’s going to be.”