Charles Leclerc’s rivalry with Lewis Hamilton may be intensifying, but he’s still highly complimentary about his Ferrari teammate.

Leclerc received a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage when trying to pass Hamilton at the start of the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday.

Hamilton, who ran wide himself as he defended the place, dropped behind eventual race winner Max Verstappen when he rejoined. He felt Leclerc had cost Ferrari a one-two by electing not to play the team game.

Charles Leclerc and George Russell emphasise how much they’ve learned from Lewis Hamilton

The incident follows a similar run-in at Monza, where Hamilton’s attempted first-chicane manoeuvre ended in the gravel trap. Leclerc admitted he had been too aggressive against his teammate, who lost six places.

The championship may be decided, but the Ferrari drivers are engaged in a symbolically important points battle behind Kimi Antonelli. Hamilton is now 14 ahead of Leclerc after they wound up finishing second and fourth in Mexico.

Asked in Saturday’s post-qualifying press conference what he has learned from Hamilton, Leclerc raved about his experience since the start of 2025.

“Having Lewis as a teammate, you always learn a massive amount, starting from inside the garage and in the meeting rooms, to understand how he works, what his priorities are, what he’s sensitive to,” he explained.

“I think from one driver to the other, it always differs, the sensitivities of a driver. And then on track, it’s obvious that, in terms of driving style, you always look on the other side of the garage to try and improve in the best possible way. So, for me, it’s all around.”

The same question was put to George Russell, who partnered Hamilton at Mercedes between 2022 and 2024. Russell also benefited from watching the seven-time world champion up close.

“Yes, [I learned] a lot from Lewis, obviously. I joined [him] earlier in my career. Yeah, Charles has pretty much summed it up for all the racing stuff.

“[…] He’s a great guy, and, yeah, it’s been a privilege to share the track together and share the garage.”

Hamilton, the most successful driver in F1 history, is about to make his 400th race start at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. That’s more than Leclerc and Russell combined (360).

The pair faced Hamilton at statistically the lowest ebb of his career – the ground-effect era – but Leclerc’s status as Ferrari’s lead driver is now under threat following the 41-year-old’s resurgence in the new cars.