Montoya demands Ferrari punish Hamilton and Leclerc after first-lap clash gifts Verstappen Mexican GP win

Max Verstappen won the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday, but the story at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez belonged to Ferrari — and not in the way the Scuderia had hoped. A first-lap clash between teammates Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who started from pole, derailed what looked like a strong chance of victory and handed the initiative to Red Bull.

Leclerc attempted to pass Hamilton into Turn 1, and both drivers ran wide in the process. Leclerc emerged ahead, but was subsequently handed a five-second penalty for the incident. Hamilton, meanwhile, dropped a position to Verstappen, who capitalised on the chaos to take the win.

Speaking on F1 TV’s post-race show, former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya was unsparing in his assessment. “There have to be proper conversations, and there have to be penalties,” he said. “They need to know there’s going to be consequences for what they’re doing, because they should have won today.”

Former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe, also on the broadcast, went further in framing the result as a Ferrari self-inflicted wound rather than a Red Bull triumph. “Max is incredible. Red Bull executed beautifully. But this was not a race that Red Bull won. This was a race that Ferrari lost. And if you look at the tracks coming up, short of a miracle, I think this was their best chance for the rest of the year to get a win. They deserved it. They qualified well and their drivers let them down today.”

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur was visibly frustrated after the race, invoking the efforts of the wider team back at the factory. “I think it’s just a matter of respect — the respect for the brand, for the sponsor, for the team, for the 2,000 people working at home like hell,” Vasseur said. “With both upgrades, the people at home are working night and day. And honestly, it’s difficult to digest for me to give up a win like this. I will have time to discuss with them, but honestly, today I’m a bit down.”

The incident will sting all the more given Ferrari’s recent momentum. The team had taken a step forward in performance and arrived in Mexico with genuine pace, only to see a probable victory evaporate at the first corner. Attention now turns to the Brazilian Grand Prix, where the Scuderia will be hoping for a cleaner start.