Fred Vasseur has confirmed that he has spoken to Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton following last week's clash in Mexico.

While the Monegasque was back in Europe attending the birth of his child, Hamilton was in Brazil making clear that his attitude has not changed since last weekend.

Talking to the media following the opening practice session, Vasseur confirmed that 'clear the air' talks have taken place.

"We did it, we did it yesterday evening because I had to fly back to Europe between the two races," he confirmed when asked if he would be talking to the feuding pair.

"It went well," he added. "It was good to discuss, good to clarify my position and their position. It was good to do, and now we turn the page, and we are focused on the next one."

Asked what exactly had been agreed, the picture wasn't quite so clear, certainly the Maranello outfit is not going down the route of Papaya Rules.

"The guidelines are still the same," he said. "I think they accumulated perhaps a bit of frustration because they are starting each weekend side by side, and you have a kind of accumulation of that.

"But at the end of the day, the guidelines are always the same, they need to respect each other. They are two competitors with a fighting spirit, for sure, but they need to have respect for the other one. But mainly, and firstly, they need to respect the brand, the team, the people working at home and the people working on track. I think we are putting a lot of effort into this, and the message was clear and will stay clear."

When it was suggested that the pair can race cleanly, as witnessed in China and Japan, so why are they unable to do that every weekend, Vasseur was quick to respond.

"Unable is a bit harsh," he snapped. "I didn't see a contact between the two cars. It's taking huge proportions because we were one-two, but there was no contact between the cars.

"It's not always like this between two teammates," he insisted. "For sure, it's not a good move because when you are one-two, you are expecting to stay one-two, and we didn't. On top, we took the penalty and this won the race. But overall, we still scored the highest number of points over the weekend. I would have preferred to finish P1, for sure, but we have to take it, stay calm and take it step by step."

Beginning to sound increasingly naive about the situation, or perhaps not wanting to give the media the quotes it so desperately desires, when advised of Hamilton's comment that he feels Leclerc pushes him harder than any previous teammate, Vasseur replied: "I'm not sure that he said something like this. He said that he was fighting probably a bit harder with him than with some others. But if you have a look at what Charles did in Austin in the first section, everybody said that he was magic, that the line was fine between the two, but he didn't crash into the other car.

"For sure, we have two experienced guys, two competitive guys," he continued. "There are now four or five races in a row that we are at the front, scoring the highest number of points after Monza and Madrid. So, for sure, you have a kind of escalation because you all want to win races.

"I think it's probably the downside of the system, that we have two competitive guys starting each weekend next to each other. But I think if we are P2 today, it's also because we have two guys who are very, very close, and we have to manage it. But it's a choice. It's a choice in the line-up, and I have the positive and the negative, but I will deal with the negative."

Asked if the meeting had seen the pair understand that the team comes first, and that their role is to ensure a victory for Ferrari as opposed to handing it to a rival, Vasseur said: "When I said that the message was clear, it's that I think it's true for Ferrari, but it's true for every single team on the grid, they are working for the team, and the team has to come first.

"For sure, in this situation, we failed collectively," he admitted, "because we were one-two and we didn't win the race at the end. That means it's clear that we failed, and we have to react.

"But the conclusion of the meeting yesterday evening was clear. It was a clear reminder that Ferrari is coming first. It's coming first for the brand, for the employees, for the Tifosi, and this, we have to keep it in mind."

It was suggested that Hamilton, in particular, was extremely vocal post-Mexico, and that much of what he said shouldn't have been made public for fear of further fuelling unrest within the team and allowing the media to exploit it.

"I was clear with Lewis, and I will keep it between Lewis and me," said Vasseur. "You can't compare the relationship between Carlos and Charles, or Charles and Lewis, or Lewis and Bottas in the past, or whatever. They have different personalities. Probably in terms of age and experience, Charles was a bit closer to Carlos, and it is like it is. But I'm not asking them to be best friends. I think it would even probably be a bit negative. I'm just asking them to act and to work as professionals, and this is it."