Charles Leclerc has detailed why he and Ferrari chose not to hand back the lead at the Mexico Grand Prix after he cut Turn 5, saying the situation was confusing enough that they kept the position and accepted a five-second penalty.
Leclerc challenged polesitting team-mate Lewis Hamilton for the lead at the start, with Hamilton holding him off through the first sequence of corners. Leclerc then attacked around the outside of Turn 4; he was ahead at the apex, but both cars ran deep and ended up fully off the track. Hamilton rejoined and lost a position to Max Verstappen, while Leclerc cut Turn 5 and stayed in front.
Because he had gained a lasting advantage by exceeding track limits, Leclerc was expected to let Hamilton back through. However, doing so would also have meant conceding a position to Verstappen, who was between the Ferraris. Leclerc stayed ahead and was given a five-second penalty.
Leclerc recounted that both drivers tried to brake very late and neither made the corner, and that Verstappen being between them after Turn 5 made the situation more confusing. He said he did not get clear feedback from the team when asking what to do, and he expected a penalty before Ferrari paid it. He added that the matter would likely be discussed in the next briefing.
Hamilton complained repeatedly over the radio to race engineer Carlo Santi, arguing that Leclerc had clean air and should give the place back, and saying the stewards were effectively handing Leclerc the win.
The incident came amid occasional friction between the Ferrari drivers this year. Asked about the rules of engagement, Leclerc downplayed it: he said they were fighting for the win so there was little margin, both made a mistake at Turn 4 without contact, and both going straight allowed Verstappen to pass. He said it should not be that much of a talking point, though Turn 1 to Turn 3 was close, and that at Turn 5 both made a mistake and he paid with a penalty while Hamilton paid by losing out to Verstappen. Leclerc said they would talk about it and suggested Hamilton might have been more angry with how the Turn 4-5 situation and penalty were handled, adding that he felt Hamilton's own actions were also on the limit.
Afterwards Leclerc tried to pull away from Verstappen to offset the penalty. He built the gap to 5.243s at the end of lap 24, but by the time he pitted, with Verstappen following him in, the Red Bull had cut a few tenths. Leclerc's pit stop was 6.3s longer than Verstappen's, with 1.3s unaccounted for by the penalty, and Verstappen comfortably took the lead.
Leclerc's race worsened at the second start after the red flag for Valtteri Bottas's crash. He suffered a hefty lock-up that damaged the SF-26's tyres, especially the front-left. He said there were many marbles on the right side of the track and that when he braked, even without massive pressure, he locked immediately and went to the cord, making the last stint very tricky. He finished fourth, a sixth consecutive top-four finish.
Sources: Autosport.