Ferrari's Hamilton-Leclerc problem - and other F1 stories to follow

The drivers' title is sewn up, and the constructors' may well be on Sunday, but Formula 1 marches restlessly, relentlessly on.

This weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix is in many ways the first page of the first chapter of the next championship battle.

New world champion Kimi Antonelli says he sees the final races of the season as preparation to defend his title in 2027, and his vanquished Mercedes team-mate George Russell is working on understanding where things went wrong, with the aim of putting them right.

The team's main target this weekend is securing the three points more than Ferrari they need to lock away the constructors' championship, to underline their return to the form they showed for so long in the 2010s.

Mercedes' rivals, meanwhile, are continuing the work that has seen them turn what was a chasm in performance at the beginning of the year into a highly competitive battle between the top four teams at the end.

The season has been in two parts. Mercedes dominated the first third, winning seven of the first eight races.

Since then, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have all had their time in the sun, and out of the past 12 races, Mercedes have won six, Red Bull three, McLaren two and Ferrari one.

Only the beginnings of a competitive picture have emerged in Sao Paulo, with Antonelli and Lando Norris in an upgraded McLaren initially appearing in good shape in Friday practice, but beyond that there are a number of running narratives to maintain the interest.

The Hamilton-Leclerc problem Ferrari boss has to solve

Chief among them is the tension between Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc after they contrived to throw away a potential one-two finish in Mexico last Sunday by tangling on the first lap.

After that race, Hamilton said the team had "big problems" and needed "serious talks".

Those happened on Thursday evening, after Leclerc and team principal Frederic Vasseur arrived back in Brazil having returned to Europe between races.

Vasseur said on Friday: "It went well. It was good to discuss. It was good to clarify our positions and now we turn the page.

"The guidelines are still the same. They need to respect each other. They are competitive with fighting spirit but they need to respect the other one and the brand and the people working back home and on track.

"The message was clear and will stay clear. Overall it is true that they are working for the team and the team has to come first. It's clear we failed and we have to react but the meeting was a clear reminder that Ferrari comes first."

The magnitude of this situation is obvious, as is the difficulty in finding a solution, and the potential for further trouble down the line.

Hamilton has been especially outspoken on this topic.

The seven-time champion has drawn a contrast between the way Leclerc races him and the way he approaches other drivers, pointing to him ceding to Max Verstappen when they were racing side by side to the first corner in Singapore, compared with how he dealt with Hamilton in Mexico City.

"We could have easily had a one-two and so we definitely have to work towards making sure that doesn't happen again," Hamilton said, adding that he thought this was a theme between Leclerc and his team-mates that he had also seen with his predecessors Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz.

He also said: "Of course, there's some times you say things and maybe you might regret it afterwards, but I don't.

"I've never apologised for being authentic and real. And I'm not going to be silenced. I have not been asked to not say anything. And that's just the way it is.

"I wear my heart on my sleeve and I say how I feel in the moment."

From Vasseur's point of view, this is a problem that really needs to be solved because if Ferrari can keep hold of the chassis advantage they have had this year and bring their engine up to the level of Mercedes and Red Bull, they could be title contenders next year.

Hamilton said: "Naturally, it's not so easy having someone like me come into a team because I'm very outspoken and I push and push and push, push for so many changes and I'm going to be pushing for more.

"As long as I'm here, that's how it's going to be. I'm here to win. And to be able to win, you have to work with everyone around you.

"I truly believe that this team can be fighting for the championship next year.

"I'm in the process of working with the head of aero, the head of aerodynamics to make sure that we hold on to the goodness of the car we have this year and fix some of the small, subtle things that could be better.