Ferrari faces an increasingly complicated Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc team orders situation at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, with Sky Sports F1 analyst Karun Chandhok suggesting that a position swap between the teammates has become difficult to arrange. The gap between the two Ferrari drivers has grown to 7.2 seconds, potentially leaving Hamilton facing further frustration after their controversial opening-lap battle.
Chandhok believes Ferrari may now prioritise helping Leclerc finish ahead of Max Verstappen rather than attempting to reverse the positions established during the opening stages. With the undercut considered relatively ineffective at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the growing distance between the Ferrari drivers could make an intervention particularly difficult without compromising their wider race objectives.
Karun Chandhok warns Ferrari faces difficult Hamilton-Leclerc team orders decision
Speaking during Sky Sports F1’s coverage of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Karun Chandhok suggested that the situation could become even more frustrating for Lewis Hamilton as Charles Leclerc continued to extend his advantage.
“I think Lewis is about to be even more annoyed, because the gap between him and Leclerc is now 7.2 seconds,” Chandhok explained.
The observation followed Hamilton’s earlier complaints about his teammate’s opening-lap manoeuvre, which resulted in the seven-time world champion losing the lead after starting from pole position.
Leclerc had moved ahead during their battle through the opening corners, while Max Verstappen subsequently capitalised on Hamilton’s loss of momentum to move into second place.
The incident was investigated by the stewards, who handed Leclerc a five-second penalty. However, Hamilton subsequently argued that the sanction did not fully address the advantage his teammate had gained by running in clean air.
Hamilton believed that Leclerc should return the positions gained during the opening-lap confrontation, rather than simply serve the time penalty at his first pit stop.
Chandhok’s latest comments suggest that the increasing gap between the two Ferrari drivers may have made that possibility considerably more difficult.
Why a Ferrari position swap could be difficult in Mexico
The key complication is the 7.2-second gap separating Hamilton and Leclerc. An exchange of positions becomes harder to coordinate when the drivers are no longer running close together, particularly when other competitors are involved in the fight at the front.
“Now it’s going to be pretty hard for Ferrari to orchestrate a swap. The undercut here is not super powerful,” Chandhok observed.
The undercut involves bringing a driver into the pits earlier than a rival in an attempt to gain time on fresher tyres. Its effectiveness depends on several factors, including tyre performance, traffic and the time gained during the laps immediately after stopping.
With Chandhok considering the undercut relatively weak in Mexico, Ferrari may have limited opportunities to use pit-stop timing to alter the order between its drivers without introducing additional complications.
That assessment does not mean a position change is impossible. However, the combination of the substantial gap and the expected limitations of the undercut makes it a more difficult option than an exchange between teammates running directly alongside one another.
Ferrari could prioritise Leclerc’s battle with Max Verstappen
Chandhok believes Ferrari’s immediate attention may therefore shift towards maximising Charles Leclerc’s result against Max Verstappen, rather than trying to resolve the dispute between its drivers during the race.
“They now I think are just going to be focused on trying to get Leclerc to beat Verstappen, and then deal with the fall out between the two drivers in a pretty tasty debrief after the race.”
His assessment highlights the competing priorities facing the Maranello team. On one hand, Hamilton has expressed dissatisfaction with how the opening-lap battle unfolded and the consequences of Leclerc gaining the lead.
On the other, Ferrari must consider its overall race performance and the threat posed by Verstappen. Attempting to engineer a position swap could affect the team’s ability to secure the strongest possible result.
For that reason, Chandhok expects Ferrari to concentrate on the competitive situation involving Leclerc and the Red Bull driver before addressing the disagreement internally.
Importantly, this remains the analyst’s interpretation of Ferrari’s likely approach. No confirmed instruction to exchange positions or abandon such a possibility was included in his comments.
Hamilton and Leclerc could face difficult Ferrari debrief after Mexico GP
The developing situation also raises questions about how Ferrari will manage the relationship between its two drivers following the Grand Prix.
Hamilton’s frustration began after the opening-lap confrontation and continued when he learned that Leclerc had received a five-second penalty. The British driver considered the advantage of running in clean air particularly significant, arguing that his teammate did not face the same management demands as those following other cars.
Now, with Leclerc having established a 7.2-second advantage, Chandhok believes there is an increased possibility that Hamilton will be dissatisfied with how events develop.
The Sky Sports F1 analyst also anticipates an uncomfortable post-race discussion, during which Ferrari may need to address the opening-lap incident and its consequences for both drivers.
That expectation does not establish that a confrontation will occur. Nevertheless, the circumstances create an obvious issue for the team to review, particularly given Hamilton’s expressed dissatisfaction and the difficulty of reversing the running order once the gap has grown.
Ferrari entered the Mexican Grand Prix in a strong position after Hamilton secured pole and Leclerc qualified third. Yet their first-lap battle introduced a situation in which the interests of the individual drivers and the team’s overall result became increasingly difficult to reconcile.
With the gap now standing at 7.2 seconds, Chandhok’s assessment is that Ferrari may have little practical choice but to concentrate on beating Verstappen and leave the internal disagreement for after the chequered flag.
Leave a Reply