Hamilton warns McLaren as Red Bull turns up heat

The uneasy truce between McLaren and Red Bull is fraying as the championship fight tightens - and even Lewis Hamilton says the orange camp must toughen up fast.

After ’tape-gate’ in Austin, new Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies vowed to end what he called "silly games".

"On one side, you can probably say that such tactics are part of F1 history," he told The Athletic. "But it’s equally fair to say that we acknowledge it got out of hand, and we’ll make sure it doesn’t go too far next time."

Yet in Mexico, Sky Italia spotted a fresh provocation. "A skull has been drawn on the Papayas’ pitstop box," the broadcaster reported. "There’s a Red Bull mechanic who draws a national symbol on his team’s box at every GP. What if he did it at McLaren this time?

"A prank, but there could be consequences."

Red Bull, clearly enjoying the psychological edge, has also arrived with the only major upgrade in the pitlane.

Hamilton says McLaren can’t afford to flinch. "You have to be really ruthless," he warned. "That’s what Max is. He’s going to take this World Championship away from them if they don’t do the same.

"They have to push - contain someone like Max, and in the car he’s in right now."

Inside McLaren, the tension is showing. Championship leader Oscar Piastri described practice in Mexico as only "reasonable", while teammate Lando Norris appeared calm and confident.

"Norris is more relaxed, while Piastri can’t express his speed and loses those potentially decisive tenths," observed Sky Italia’s Ivan Capelli.

Team boss Andrea Stella defended his younger driver. "Even the world champion has had some learning and thinking issues - think about Barcelona and Hungary," he said. "Oscar is learning very quickly, and I expect him to be very strong in this final part of the season."

Former driver Timo Glock, though, believes the mental balance between the two McLaren drivers has shifted. "These are the experiences Lando brings with him from seven years in Formula 1," said the Sky Deutschland analyst. "Since Zandvoort, he’s realised he’s got nothing to lose and can only win. That’s his advantage now - he’s starting to exploit it mentally against Piastri."

Ralf Schumacher agreed. "Zandvoort was a game-changer," he said. "After that, he saw he could be faster than Piastri if he stayed relaxed. He’s worked on that, and now he has routines that help him."

Norris himself sounded almost serene before the weekend.

"I can enjoy it for the most part," he said. "Yes, there’s more pressure every session, but I can still enjoy it and I’m probably more relaxed than ever. There are more eyes and expectations, but I feel good - and that’s why I’m performing well."

Schumacher concluded: "McLaren would be well advised to just let the drivers drive - find their rhythm again instead of thinking about any rules."