Lewis Hamilton 'message to Italy' theory raised after public Charles Leclerc fallout

Martin Brundle believes Lewis Hamilton's furious reaction to Ferrari's handling of the Mexico City Grand Prix was aimed squarely at the team's Italian hierarchy.

Hamilton finished second behind Max Verstappen after Charles Leclerc's attempt to pass him around the outside of Turn 4 sent both Ferrari drivers off the circuit, with Leclerc rejoining in the lead. 

The stewards handed Leclerc a reduced five-second penalty, having accounted for the fact Hamilton also ran wide, but the incident ultimately cost Ferrari a likely one-two and instead handed the win to Verstappen.

Post-race, Hamilton claimed he was "really pi**ed" at having lost a one-two finish and claimed that Leclerc had a "do or die attitude" and raced him differently compared to other drivers, as boss Fred Vasseur claimed that the pair had shown Ferrari a "lack of respect."

Clear-the-air talks were then held in Brazil, but speaking to Sky F1, Brundle said Hamilton's anger on the radio reflected a driver who no longer feels the need to hold back.

"He's at the stage of his career and his life where he's going to be unfiltered, and he was pretty unhappy with what happened," Brundle said.

"He said on the radio that they've given Charles the win today with just that five-second penalty, and it's definitely worth cutting a few corners, getting out front. You make a lot more than five seconds.

"But the big story is it didn't give a Ferrari driver the win at all. It gave Max Verstappen the victory as it happened. It wasn't the smartest move in Charles's career and life. Trying to go around the outside of Turn 4, that was a 75-25 against move against your teammate. It just wasn't a smart move.

"Lewis has realised, here's a chance to actually make a bit of ground on this, because that was a bit silly."

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Lewis Hamilton eyes increased Ferrari 'clout'

Brundle went on to frame the episode as part of a wider shift in how modern F1 teams expect their drivers to behave, pointing to the sheer scale of today's organisations compared to the sport he grew up in.

"But, you know, I was thinking about this in the week," Brundle continued. "When I first was in Formula 1, I think we had 40 people in the team. Now there are 2,000 people in the team.

"You've got this situation where they say you're representing 2,000 people, and it's true. But you're in Formula 1. As an individual sports person, you're measured as an individual sports person in a team environment. Now that team's 2,000 people, and it's almost becoming impossible.

"I think we saw the same with Lando [Norris] and Oscar [Piastri]. Where do you stand as a driver. I think this is a new challenge, on where do I really stand here.

"You can't just keep criticising me for racing for myself just because I'm in a team. It actually doesn't work, does it, if you think about it."

Brundle also drew a parallel with Hamilton's combustible spell alongside Nico Rosberg at Mercedes, suggesting friction of this kind was always likely to resurface once Hamilton found himself fighting a teammate for position again.

"I seem to remember him and Nico [Rosberg] running into each other quite dramatically on a few occasions, having quite a spat. It's inevitable," Brundle insisted.

"I stand by what I said. I think Lewis has realised there's a really good platform to carve himself out more of a number one spot there, more clout in that situation. He's not going to let that go.

"And that comment, when he got out of the car during the red flag, of, 'We've got big problems here, big problems,' that wasn't to anybody around in Mexico. That was to some people in Italy."