The FIA stewards have issued their official explanation for the five-second time penalty handed to Charles Leclerc during the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Starting third at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Leclerc found himself alongside teammate Lewis Hamilton—who had claimed pole—as George Russell fell back sharply during the second stage of the start. The two Ferrari drivers raced wheel-to-wheel for the lead.
Hamilton narrowly held onto the advantage through the opening corners, but Leclerc arrived at the apex of Turn 4 first. With little room afforded by Hamilton, the Monegasque driver ran wide yet maintained the lead.
Leclerc did not relinquish the position by Turn 12, a requirement outlined in the drivers’ briefing. Returning the spot would have cost him two places, allowing Max Verstappen to leap ahead of Hamilton.
Stewards determined Leclerc likely could not have remained on the circuit, issuing a five-second penalty rather than the standard sanction due to mitigating factors.
“The Stewards determined that both cars entered Turn 4 with excessive speed, meaning neither could have navigated the corner while remaining on track,” the stewards’ report stated. “This is evidenced by car 44, which was on the inside and was forced off the circuit to make the turn.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Yuri Cortez / AFP via Getty Images
“Consequently, car 16 was not entitled to claim the corner because of its excessive entry speed. By completing an overtake while off track, the driver incurred a penalty.”
“While the standard guideline calls for a 10-second penalty, the stewards noted mitigating circumstances: car 44 also ran wide on the inside of car 16, and the incident occurred early on the opening lap.”
Retaining the lead allowed Leclerc to establish a clear advantage over his rivals, opening a five-second gap to Verstappen.
The ruling frustrated the seven-time world champion, who believed his teammate deserved a harsher penalty.
“The problem is he has clean air and doesn’t have to manage his tires like the rest of us. He should simply give the position back,” Hamilton said. A few laps later, he added: “The stewards are effectively handing Charles this victory.”
Leclerc ultimately surrendered the virtual lead to Verstappen during the first round of pit stops, as Red Bull reacted quickly to Ferrari’s strategy to avoid being undercut.
The race was red-flagged on lap 46 after Valtteri Bottas crashed following an apparent suspension failure. Verstappen led from Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli at the stoppage; Hamilton had pitted under the safety car just before the red flag and fell to fourth.
