Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur commented on the investigation into Charles Leclerc’s SF-23 car in the Mexican Grand Prix, stating that the FIA “was correct not to penalize him.”
The Monegasque driver suffered damage to the front wing when he collided with Sergio Pérez on the first lap at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. Ferrari advised its driver not to return to the pits to replace the wing; in fact, the sideplate had detached from the rest of the component after a couple of laps.
Last year, Haas was forced to pit Kevin Magnussen on three different occasions due to a similar situation. Following discussions with the teams, race control decided to handle these incidents with more leniency.
Fred Vasseur stated that Ferrari “didn’t have time” to assess whether it was right to bring Charles Leclerc back to the pits: “I think when we saw it, we tried to have a look at what happened, and he lost part of the front wing, the sideplate, one lap after.”
The Frenchman approved of the decision by the stewards to evaluate the matter after the race: “There are pros and cons on both sides, but if they take a decision, they cannot listen to us and our position. If they defer the decision, for sure, the podium is safe,” he concluded.
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It should not be forgotten that Ferrari and Charles Leclerc had already been victims of disqualification in Austin, and a penalty the following week would have certainly raised eyebrows at Scuderia Ferrari.
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