Verstappen Wins in Mexico City as Ferrari Pair Collide

Max Verstappen won the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, but the afternoon's loudest story came from inside Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc collided on the opening lap, and BBC Sport's Chequered Flag says the fighting between them cost the team the win.

Hamilton had started from pole position, the fastest lap in qualifying. His time of 1:16.514 was his 105th career pole, and the first he had taken for Ferrari. Leclerc was third, 0.119 seconds slower, while Kimi Antonelli qualified fifth. Leclerc had also topped both Friday practice sessions, so the team arrived with pace on the car.

The race turned on that first lap. Reuters reports that Hamilton said Ferrari had missed a one-two finish, meaning both its drivers on the podium, after the clash. Hamilton still finished second. Antonelli took third.

Leclerc was also handed a five-second penalty, which adds five seconds to a driver's race time. While he served it in the pit lane, Verstappen drove past him, and the Red Bull driver went on to take the win.

Hamilton did not hide his frustration afterwards. He said Ferrari needed "serious talks" and added, "We've got big problems." The team's own race report noted that Hamilton's second place was Ferrari's 13th podium finish of the season. Chequered Flag's presenters, Harry Benjamin, Marc Priestley and Jennie Gow, discussed the rising tension inside the camp, and the programme's video was titled "'Utter chaos at Ferrari right now'."

The result also settled a championship. BBC Sport reported that Antonelli became world champion at the race, finishing third behind Verstappen and Hamilton. For Ferrari, the weekend ended with a podium, a pole, and an internal row that the team will have to deal with before the next race.