Lewis Hamilton reveals details of Charles Leclerc meeting after Ferrari tension

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he and Charles Leclerc have "squashed" the simmering tension that had built up between the Ferrari teammates following last Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix.

The two drivers clashed on the opening lap at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez when Leclerc attempted an outside move on his teammate at Turn 4, sending both cars off the circuit before Leclerc rejoined ahead of Hamilton across the grass.

The incident cost Ferrari dearly as Max Verstappen slipped past Hamilton into second, and then netted the lead, and the win, after Leclerc was later handed a five-second penalty for gaining a lasting advantage.

It was the latest flashpoint in a season that has already produced friction between the two drivers, following a strategy disagreement at Zandvoort and a first-lap coming-together at Monza.

Team principal Fred Vasseur said afterwards that the accumulation of such moments reflected two highly competitive teammates repeatedly fighting each other on track, and that individual battles had started to compromise the wider interests of the team.

Vasseur is understood to have held debriefs with both drivers following the Mexico incident, but Hamilton made clear it was a separate conversation, directly with Leclerc, that resolved matters, speaking ahead of the São Paulo Grand Prix weekend.

Asked if things were now on a good footing between himself and his teammate, speaking to Sky Sports F1, Hamilton said: "Fred hasn't cleared the air. It was me and Charles. We sat and spoke, we squashed it, and we're moving on.

"We still have a huge amount of respect for each other. I'm glad we had a chat, and now we move on.

"We've been getting along just fine, as normal. Sometimes in those certain scenarios, it just takes having a conversation.

"There's been no demands from either side. It's just been both of us giving our points in areas we can do better and support each other. I'm hoping to have better races moving forward."

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Hamilton - Qualifying was a practice session

Hamilton's comments come amid ongoing debate over whether Ferrari needs to introduce clearer rules of engagement for its two drivers, something Vasseur has so far resisted in favour of relying on mutual respect and post-race mediation.

The seven-time F1 champion then reflected on a tricky qualifying session at Interlagos, where torrential rain dominated.

The situation was further complicated for Hamilton by the fact that after taking on a new internal combustion engine ahead of final practice, that system then encountered issues, leading to a complete PU change going into qualifying.

After setting the 11th fastest time, albeit because there was no need to push because of the penalties, and knowing he will start at the back of the grid, Hamilton said: "I love qualifying, and getting to drive in the rain; it's such an amazing track to race in all conditions, but in the wet particularly.

"I wish I could have stayed out and had a bit of a battle with everyone, but we had that problem in P3. We didn't get in many laps there, so it was basically a practice session for me to try and figure out what it feels like in these conditions, just in case tomorrow it's raining."

Leclerc will start the race from 14th due to serving a 10-place penalty of his own after taking on a new ICE.