The FIA Formula 1 stewards have explained their decision to give Charles Leclerc a five-second penalty for cutting the track and passing Lewis Hamilton for the lead of the Mexico Grand Prix on the opening lap.
Leclerc and Hamilton had been fighting for first place through the opening corners before Leclerc attempted to pass around the outside of Turn 4. Both drivers braked late, but Leclerc ran wide, crossed the grass and rejoined ahead after Turn 5. Hamilton also went slightly off track while defending, losing momentum and allowing Max Verstappen to take second position.
The area was covered by a special pre-race rule intended to prevent drivers from gaining positions by crossing the grass on the opening lap. The FIA had told teams that a car leaving the track while retaining its position near another car could be considered to have gained a lasting advantage unless it gave the place back by the specified corner.
Because Leclerc did not yield to Hamilton, the stewards investigated him for gaining an advantage and imposed a five-second penalty. Hamilton questioned the decision over team radio, arguing that Leclerc’s clean air allowed him to build a gap and avoid the race-management difficulties faced by the other drivers. He later said the stewards had effectively handed Leclerc the victory despite what had been agreed in the drivers’ briefing.
The stewards said the standard guideline for the offence was a 10-second penalty, but they identified mitigating circumstances. Their statement said both cars had entered Turn 4 at excessive speed and that neither could have completed the corner on track. Hamilton, who was on the inside, had also gone off the circuit.
According to the stewards, Leclerc was not entitled to claim the corner because of his speed, and completing the pass off track warranted a penalty. However, Hamilton’s own excursion, along with the fact that the incident occurred early on the first lap, led them to reduce the sanction to five seconds.
Leclerc’s penalty eventually dropped him behind Verstappen at his first pit stop, before a red flag was triggered by Valtteri Bottas’s crash.
Sources: The Race.