Ferrari reveal outcome of crunch Hamilton-Leclerc meeting after Mexico spat

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has explained how drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are now fully aware of their "guidelines" after a crunch meeting in Brazil. 

The row between the drivers was sparked by Leclerc's action on the opening lap of the Mexico City Grand Prix, where he attacked around the outside of Hamilton at Turn 4.

Both cars went off the track, with Hamilton delayed just enough to allow Max Verstappen to sneak up the inside to grab second place - behind Leclerc, who was then handed a five-second time penalty by the stewards.

Ultimately, Hamilton felt this action had cost the team a one-two finish, as he said over the radio that the team had "big problems", and then declared post-race he was "really pi**ed" at Leclerc and the situation, whom he said had a "do or die" attitude on-track. 

Vasseur then accused both drivers of showing a "lack of respect" to Ferrari in the incident, with the trio holding a crunch meeting on Thursday of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend. 

"It went well. It was good to discuss, good to clarify my position and their position," Vasseur told media, including RacingNews365, about the meeting.

"It was good to do, and now we turn the page, and we are focused on the next race. 

"The guidelines are still the same. I think they have accumulated perhaps a bit of frustration because they are starting each weekend side-by-side and you have an accumulation effect.

"But at the end of the day, the guidelines are always the same: they need to respect each other. They are two competitors with the fighting spirit for sure, but they need to have respect for the other one. 

"But mainly and firstly, they need to respect the brand, the team, the people working at home, the people working on track. I think we are putting in a lot of effort on this, and the message was clear, and will stay clear."

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Ferrari hold crunch Hamilton-Leclerc talks

When then asked if dealing with the Hamilton-Leclerc dynamic was the most challenging of his career, Vasseur explained that he was prepared to deal with the negatives. 

"We have two experienced guys, two competitive guys, and it is now four or five races in a row that we are scoring the highest number of points after Monza and Madrid," he said.

"For sure you have that kind of escalation that you all want to win races, and I think it's probably the downside of the system is that we have two competitive guys starting each weekend next to each other, but I think if we are P2 today [in the constructors'], it's also because we have two guys who are very, very close, and we have to manage it. 

"But it's a choice; it's a choice of the lineup. And I have the positive and the negative, but I will deal with the negative."

Vasseur was then pushed on whether the two drivers had agreed to work together for the sake of the team, where he indicated that Ferrari "had failed."

"It is true for every single team that on the grid the drivers are working for the team and the team has to come first," he said.

"For sure, in this situation, we failed collectively because we were one-two, and we didn't win the race in the end. 

"That means that it's clear that we failed, and we have to react. But the conclusion of the meeting yesterday evening was clear. 

"It was a clear reminder that Ferrari is coming first. It's coming first for the brand, for the employees, for the Tifosi, and we have to keep this in mind."