Ralf Schumacher slams Hamilton over Ferrari radio outburst after Mexico GP.

Lewis Hamilton has been told what truly cost him victory at the Mexican Grand Prix, and it wasn’t Charles Leclerc.

A prominent F1 insider has pointed to a qualifying error as the root cause.

Peter Windsor, a veteran motorsport analyst, says the damage was done before the race even started.

Hamilton qualified on pole for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday.

But by Turn 4 of the opening lap, he had fallen behind Leclerc and eventual winner Max Verstappen.

Leclerc attempted an overtake around the outside, and both drivers missed the turn.

Leclerc cut across the grass at Turn 5, while Hamilton made the corner but dropped to third.

Leclerc took the lead and held it, despite receiving a five-second time penalty for the incident.

Hamilton was furious over team radio.

“The stewards are basically handing Charles this win,” he claimed.

Post-race, Hamilton demanded “serious talks” with Ferrari to prevent such clashes in the future.

Ralf Schumacher, the former F1 driver, later blasted Hamilton’s radio outburst.

He compared Hamilton to mob boss Al Capone, accusing him of making threats over the radio.

But Windsor argues the real culprit was a mistake in qualifying.

Hamilton locked up his front tyres on his first timed lap in Q2.

That forced him to use a fresh set of soft compound tyres to complete the session.

Those tyres would have been saved for the race under normal circumstances.

Instead, Hamilton started the Grand Prix on used soft tyres.

Windsor explained this on his YouTube channel.

“Lewis said afterwards it was that moment that cost him the Mexican Grand Prix,” Windsor said.

“And he may well be right because if Charles hadn’t done that, Lewis probably would have just settled into the lead.”

“Max would have been behind both Ferraris, probably with no chance to get past them at an early stage of the race.”

“Probably Lewis would have won that race.”

Windsor does acknowledge that Leclerc’s move did not help Hamilton’s cause.

But the analyst believes the tyre disadvantage was the decisive factor.

Had Hamilton started on fresh softs, Leclerc might never have gotten close enough to attempt the pass.

The incident has reignited debate over Ferrari’s driver management.

Former Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene has urged current boss Fred Vasseur to take control.

“The team principal must act like a team principal, and the driver must act like a driver,” Arrivabene told Sky Sports Italy.

He warned that drivers sometimes make statements that are “a bit of a load of rubbish” to sway the team.

Vasseur’s handling of the Hamilton-Leclerc dynamic has been questioned since the Italian Grand Prix in September.

That race saw a similar clash between the two Ferrari drivers at Turn 1.

Reports emerged that Ferrari’s top brass were “dissatisfied” with Vasseur’s leadership after that incident.

The Mexico race was a near repeat of that scenario.

Hamilton and Leclerc now head to the Sao Paulo Grand Prix with tensions unresolved.

The championship battle is also heating up behind the scenes.

Hamilton’s 2016 title rival Nico Rosberg recently revealed the extreme measures he took to beat the Briton.

Rosberg said he removed paint from his helmet to save 80 grams.