Charles Leclerc’s start
Charles Leclerc got an excellent clutch release, considering he was starting from the dirty side of the track. When the lights went out, he followed closely behind Lando Norris, taking advantage of the slipstream, but soon found himself trapped in a sandwich: on the right was Lewis Hamilton, also following the McLaren, while Max Verstappen’s Red Bull squeezed in on the other side.
The Monegasque moved slightly to the left, forcing the Dutch driver to brake on the curb. Losing grip under braking, Max Verstappen cut fully across the Turn 1 grass. Both Ferraris were extremely close to disaster. After some minor contact and finding no space, Charles Leclerc replicated Max Verstappen’s move, rejoining the track in front but then having to yield to Lando Norris.
Lewis Hamilton immediately radioed the team asking about the position relative to the other Ferrari, claiming that the cut gave Charles Leclerc a clear advantage.
Charles Leclerc’s perspective
To better understand the incident, here are Charles Leclerc’s words to SkySportF1 just after getting out of his car: “There wasn’t much space. I tried to do the best I could. Lewis probably didn’t realize that Max was on my left; Max didn’t know that someone else was over there. There was a slight contact with Lewis, but nothing serious. Then I was forced to cut the chicane and I gave the position back to Lando. From there, I focused on my race.” – the Monegasque driver explained at the end of the Mexico City Grand Prix which was held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
