Former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill has questioned Charles Leclerc’s ability to control his emotions behind the wheel after the Ferrari driver’s aggressive approach backfired during the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix. The British pundit believes Leclerc allowed frustration to influence his driving following a difficult race start, highlighting a significant difference between the Monegasque and teammate Lewis Hamilton.
The criticism follows a controversial afternoon for Ferrari at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where the two drivers became involved in an intense battle for position. Although Leclerc had demonstrated stronger pace throughout practice, Hamilton secured pole position before the race. The Monegasque responded with an aggressive opening-lap attack that put him into the lead but also resulted in a five-second penalty, ultimately benefiting Max Verstappen in the fight for victory.
Damon Hill questions Charles Leclerc’s angry driving in Mexico
During his commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live, Damon Hill identified what he considered a fundamental problem with Charles Leclerc’s approach to racing under pressure.
The 1996 Formula 1 world champion argued that drivers must distinguish between using their emotions to increase their determination and allowing anger to influence their decisions. In his assessment, Lewis Hamilton was demonstrating the former characteristic, while Leclerc appeared to have crossed into the latter.
Hill believed that the Ferrari driver had become frustrated after losing out at the start and subsequently attempted to recover too much ground under braking. The former Williams champion considered the move particularly risky because Leclerc was surrounded by other cars, creating a difficult situation similar to the incidents that had unfolded during the opening lap of the initial start.
The consequences quickly became apparent. According to Hill, Leclerc’s aggressive braking had left him struggling with heavily vibrating front tyres that were no longer properly round, severely compromising their effectiveness.
Rather than helping the Monegasque recover, the attempt to force the issue appeared to create an additional problem that made maintaining competitive performance considerably more difficult.
Hill’s central criticism was not that Leclerc lacked determination, but that frustration appeared to be influencing how he used that determination on the circuit.
How Charles Leclerc’s Mexico GP aggression affected Ferrari’s race
The difficulties in Mexico began before the incident highlighted by Damon Hill.
Throughout the practice sessions, Charles Leclerc had generally appeared to hold the advantage over Lewis Hamilton. However, when it mattered most in qualifying, the seven-time world champion produced the stronger performance to secure pole position.
That result placed Hamilton in the best possible position for Sunday’s race, but the situation changed dramatically when the lights went out. Leclerc attacked his teammate aggressively and emerged in the lead. The move, however, came at a significant cost, as the stewards imposed a five-second time penalty for the incident.
The sanction compromised Ferrari’s race and played into the hands of Max Verstappen, who ultimately emerged victorious in Mexico City.
The circumstances surrounding the penalty became another important part of the controversy, with the FIA explaining why Charles Leclerc received a five-second penalty rather than a ten-second sanction.
The problems did not end with the initial start. During the second race start, Hill observed further evidence of what he considered an overly emotional driving approach from the Ferrari driver. Leclerc’s attempt to recover position through aggressive braking left him with damaged front tyres, adding to an afternoon in which his willingness to attack had already carried significant consequences.
For Ferrari, the situation highlighted the dangers of allowing an internal battle to compromise opportunities for a stronger team result.
Lewis Hamilton questions Charles Leclerc’s approach to racing
The Mexico City Grand Prix also intensified the tension between Ferrari’s two drivers.
Following the race, Lewis Hamilton criticised Charles Leclerc’s mentality, questioning why his teammate appeared prepared to take such an uncompromising approach even when racing another Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion’s frustration reflected a wider concern that has surrounded the team’s decision not to establish a clear hierarchy between its drivers.
Ferrari has resisted choosing a designated number one, maintaining an approach that allows both competitors to pursue their own opportunities. Hamilton had previously warned that this arrangement could lead to direct battles between the two drivers, and the events in Mexico illustrated the potential consequences.
From Leclerc’s perspective, the desire to establish himself against such an accomplished teammate creates an intense competitive challenge. However, when that rivalry produces unnecessary risks, the consequences can extend beyond the drivers themselves.
The ongoing disagreement has raised further questions about how the Maranello team manages competition between its two leading figures. Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has already called for mutual respect following the Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc clash in Mexico.
The controversy has also revived concerns about whether the Scuderia can maximise its competitive potential without a clearer approach to managing situations in which its drivers are fighting one another.
That wider issue has become particularly relevant as Ferrari considers how to strengthen its organisation and improve the working relationship between its drivers ahead of the 2027 Formula 1 season.
Why Damon Hill believes Charles Leclerc must show more composure
Beyond the specific incidents in Mexico, Damon Hill’s assessment raises a broader question about Charles Leclerc’s ability to combine his considerable natural speed with the judgement required to compete for a world championship.
Few would dispute the Monegasque’s raw ability. He has repeatedly demonstrated that he possesses the pace necessary to challenge the strongest drivers on the Formula 1 grid, including Lewis Hamilton.
However, the criticism surrounding his Mexico performance concerns how consistently that speed can be translated into results when the pressure increases.
Leclerc’s 2022 championship challenge provides an earlier example of the difficulties that can arise when mistakes interrupt an otherwise promising campaign. During that season, his hopes of challenging for the title faded as errors and lapses in composure contributed to the collapse of his championship prospects.
The concern is therefore not whether he can produce exceptional performances, but whether he can exercise sufficient restraint when circumstances demand a more calculated approach. His ability to race Lewis Hamilton aggressively and occasionally come out ahead demonstrates his competitiveness. Yet an approach built around taking substantial risks can also create setbacks that ultimately outweigh the benefits of an individual move.
At Mexico City, the combination of the opening-lap controversy, the subsequent penalty and the braking mistake identified by Hill provided another example of how quickly an aggressive approach can become counterproductive.
What Charles Leclerc could learn from Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 championship
The contrast with Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s title-winning campaign offers another perspective on the importance of composure in Formula 1.
The Mercedes driver secured the 2026 Drivers’ World Championship through a combination of consistency, balance and the ability to capitalise on strong performances without taking unnecessary risks.
Rather than relying on aggressive moves at every opportunity, the young Italian maintained momentum throughout the season and converted his competitive advantage into the world title. That approach provides an important comparison for Charles Leclerc, whose speed has never been the central concern in assessments of his championship potential.
For a driver hoping to become a future world champion, knowing when to attack is only part of the challenge. Understanding when a particular move carries too much risk can be equally important. Leclerc has already demonstrated that he can compete with and defeat Lewis Hamilton on the circuit. The next step is to ensure that those battles do not undermine his own results or Ferrari’s wider championship ambitions.
The Mexico City Grand Prix also highlighted why Ferrari’s internal rivalry could have serious consequences for the team if similar situations continue to develop.
Damon Hill’s assessment ultimately centres on the difference between determination and losing control under pressure. Charles Leclerc possesses the speed and ambition required to compete at the highest level, but the events in Mexico have renewed questions about whether he can consistently combine those qualities with the composure demanded of a Formula 1 world champion.
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