Charles Leclerc said his five-second penalty for passing Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton off track during the opening lap of the Mexico City Grand Prix was deserved. The two drivers went wide at Turn 4 while battling for the lead, and Leclerc moved ahead across the grass.
Leclerc kept the position rather than yielding it. He said his decision was influenced by Max Verstappen moving into second during the Ferrari drivers’ fight. Hamilton later complained over team radio that Leclerc’s time in clean air reduced the effect of the penalty.
The stewards imposed a five-second penalty, below the 10 seconds set out in their standard guideline. Their decision cited mitigating circumstances: Hamilton had also gone off track on the inside of Leclerc, and the incident happened early in the first lap.
“Then I stayed ahead, and then Max got past Lewis,” Leclerc said after the race. “So yeah, then I asked what should I do? And I kept the position and took a deserved penalty.” He added that he planned to discuss the incident with Hamilton and the team.
Hamilton regained positions at the restart and finished second, while Leclerc was fourth on the road. Leclerc described the clash as part of racing, saying both drivers had gone off track and that he had also been pushed wide at Turn 1.
Sources: Formula 1.