Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc charged toward Turn 4 with Kimi Antonelli’s championship coronation looming behind them. The Mercedes driver needed only ninth to become Formula 1’s youngest world champion. Ferrari had a different prize within reach: victory on the afternoon its rival could claim the season.
Neither red car yielded. Hamilton braked on the inside. Leclerc pressed around the outside. Both ran out of asphalt.
Their fight scattered across the runoff and grass. Leclerc cut through into the lead, while Hamilton tried to recover his line through Turn 5. Verstappen pounced on the exit. Before half a lap had passed, a Red Bull separated the Ferraris.
Formula 1’s race report traced Verstappen’s winning opportunity to those opening corners. Antonelli would finish third and secure the title, while Hamilton chased Verstappen home and Leclerc settled for fourth.
Hamilton had started from his first Grand Prix pole for Ferrari. Now he faced a question that would follow him to the flag: how had his teammate’s attack left someone else controlling their race?
Ferrari’s perfect start unraveled at Turn 4
Hamilton initially held his advantage along the long run toward Turn 1. Leclerc challenged around the outside, and the pair threaded through the opening sequence together.
Ferrari’s race notes, reproduced by Pitpass, describe both drivers launching strongly on soft tyres. From first and third on the grid, they moved into the top two places on track. The team had the start it wanted.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc still had to settle which Ferrari would lead. Leclerc attacked again approaching Turn 4. Hamilton covered the inside, and both delayed braking beyond what the corner could accommodate.
The contest escaped the circuit. Leclerc crossed the grass. Hamilton rejoined with an awkward approach to the right-hand Turn 5.
As Formula 1’s lap-by-lap account explained, that compromised exit allowed Verstappen to accelerate past Hamilton. The damage showed immediately in the running order: Hamilton had defended first place and emerged third.
Returning to the position had become much harder. Leclerc could no longer let Hamilton through without also allowing Verstappen past.
Why Leclerc received a five-second penalty
The official FIA decision leaves little room to describe Hamilton as an innocent spectator. After reviewing video and positioning data, the stewards concluded that both Ferraris entered Turn 4 too quickly. Neither driver could have completed the corner on track.
Hamilton’s excursion on the inside demonstrated that problem. Leclerc then completed his overtake outside the circuit. His excessive entry speed meant he could not take the corner, and the lasting advantage warranted a penalty.
The stewards imposed five seconds rather than the baseline 10. Their published decision identified two mitigating circumstances: Hamilton also went off track inside Leclerc, and the incident occurred early on the opening lap.
For Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, the ruling established different responsibilities. Both had overcommitted under braking. Leclerc had gained the position illegally.
The punishment could not put Hamilton back where he had started. Verstappen now occupied the space between them, and Ferrari had to manage the consequences.
Leclerc kept the lead as Hamilton waited behind Verstappen
Leclerc later told Sky Sports that his first thought involved returning the position. Verstappen’s move changed his calculation.
“I asked on the radio, but I kept my position,” he said. Leclerc chose to protect the lead and accept whatever sanction followed.
Speaking afterward to Formula 1, he acknowledged that he deserved the penalty while defending his willingness to fight for victory. Hamilton watched that decision unfold from behind the Red Bull. His teammate had taken first place across the grass and could now push without another car directly ahead.
The dispute between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had moved onto the radio. On track, every lap gave Verstappen another chance to turn Ferrari’s disorder into a winning strategy.
Verstappen took the lead during the pit stops
Leclerc still had a possible escape. A large enough gap could absorb the five seconds and preserve his advantage after the stops.
Verstappen stayed close enough to threaten him. Ferrari’s account records Leclerc stopping on lap 27 for medium tyres and serving the penalty. Red Bull brought Verstappen in on the same lap.
The Dutchman rejoined ahead. Hamilton stopped one lap later, leaving both Ferraris behind the rival who had split them on the opening lap.
The fight between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had helped Verstappen gain two positions through two different opportunities. He passed Hamilton after Turn 4, then moved ahead of Leclerc during the stops.
Red Bull still had work to do. Ferrari remained fast, and the race would offer Hamilton another direct attack.
In comments published by Formula 1, Verstappen credited his team’s strategy and pit-stop timing. Their response turned the penalty into track position, then left him responsible for protecting it.
Bottas’s crash gave Hamilton another chance
Bottas’s accident interrupted the race at Turn 1. According to Formula 1’s report, his Cadillac suffered a front-left suspension failure under braking and struck the barrier heavily.
Damage to the barrier forced a red flag. Bottas climbed out unaided and went to the medical centre for precautionary checks. The remaining drivers prepared for another standing start.
Hamilton attacked immediately when racing resumed. He passed Leclerc off the line and challenged Verstappen, but the Red Bull retained the lead.
Leclerc then locked up at Turn 1. Ferrari reported that the resulting flat spot produced severe vibrations, leaving him vulnerable to Antonelli and occupied with defending against Lando Norris.
Verstappen took the flag 0.799 seconds ahead of Hamilton. Antonelli finished third, securing the championship at 20. Leclerc followed in fourth.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had received another start. They could not recreate the advantage Ferrari held before their first fight reached the grass.
Hamilton demanded answers after Ferrari’s missed opportunity
Hours later, Hamilton’s frustration carried the weight of Saturday’s pole position. He had put Ferrari at the front and finished Sunday chasing someone else.
Speaking to Formula 1, Hamilton argued that the team possessed the pace for first and second. That remained his assessment of an opportunity, rather than a result anyone could guarantee. His call for “serious talks behind the scenes” nevertheless left little doubt about his anger.
Hamilton also told Sky Sports that the drivers had not sat down beforehand to discuss the opening lap. For a team starting first and third, that admission deserves attention.
Leclerc defended attacking an available gap. Hamilton questioned the cost when their competition damaged Ferrari’s chance of winning.
The disagreement between Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc therefore extends beyond the penalty. They must agree on how far to push each other when a rival waits close enough to profit.
Ferrari must settle the fight before the next start
Vasseur’s response brought the argument back to the factory. In Ferrari’s race notes, he pointed to roughly 2,000 people supporting the team and described losing this opportunity as difficult to accept.
His next task demands clear instructions for the circumstances Mexico exposed. Both cars ran off track. A rival slipped between them. Leclerc asked what to do while continuing in the lead.
Another opening lap will soon test Ferrari’s response. Any agreement must tell the drivers when they can continue fighting and how quickly they must obey a call to restore order.
Hamilton also needs to confront his excessive speed into Turn 4. Leclerc must account for keeping an illegally gained position. The pit wall must examine whether it gave either driver a clear enough direction.
For Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, trust will depend on what happens when yielding costs something. A comfortable declaration of unity cannot answer that question.
Antonelli left Mexico with a championship he will remember for the rest of his life. Verstappen left with a victory he had seized and defended. Hamilton had to absorb the sight of both celebrations after starting ahead of everyone.
That was the bitter part. His first Grand Prix pole in Ferrari red had offered something tangible: an empty track ahead, a fast car beneath him, a chance to finish what Saturday had promised.
By Turn 5, he was staring at Verstappen’s rear wing. At the flag, that same Red Bull remained just beyond reach.
Less than a second separated Hamilton from victory. The hurt lay in how early Ferrari had made him chase it.
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FAQs
1. What happened between Hamilton and Leclerc at the Mexico City GP?
Both drivers ran off track while fighting at Turn 4. Leclerc took the lead across the grass, while Verstappen passed Hamilton.
2. Why did Leclerc receive a five-second penalty?
Leclerc overtook off track. Stewards reduced the baseline penalty because Hamilton also went off track and the incident happened early on the first lap.
3. Why didn’t Leclerc give Hamilton the position back?
Leclerc said he initially considered returning the position. Verstappen then passed Hamilton, complicating the swap, and Leclerc kept the lead.
4. How did Verstappen get ahead of both Ferraris?
Verstappen passed Hamilton after the opening-lap fight. He later moved ahead of Leclerc when the Ferrari driver served his penalty during a pit stop.
5. Did Kimi Antonelli win the championship in Mexico?
Yes. Antonelli finished third and secured the championship at 20, becoming Formula 1’s youngest world champion.
