Lewis Hamilton overtook Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc almost immediately after the restart of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, moving into second place before launching a challenge against race leader Max Verstappen. The seven-time world champion wasted little time making use of his restored third-place starting position, with the gap to the Red Bull driver falling below one second as the race entered lap 48.
The restart produced another dramatic exchange involving Ferrari’s two drivers, but this time Hamilton emerged ahead of Leclerc. While Verstappen successfully defended the lead through the opening corners, the British Ferrari driver moved into second and remained close enough to threaten the Red Bull. Leclerc, meanwhile, survived a significant lock-up to retain third place, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli holding fourth for Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton overtakes Charles Leclerc immediately at Mexico GP restart
The race resumed on lap 47 of the scheduled 71-lap Mexican Grand Prix following the red-flag interruption caused by Valtteri Bottas’ crash at Turn 1.
Race control had previously restored Hamilton to third place for the restart, placing him immediately behind Leclerc and ahead of Antonelli. The decision meant Ferrari’s two drivers would begin the resumption alongside the leading contenders, with Hamilton occupying the cleaner side of the grid.
When racing resumed, Verstappen maintained his advantage at the front, but Hamilton immediately moved ahead of his Ferrari teammate to claim second position.
The pass reversed the order between the Scuderia drivers and gave Hamilton the opportunity to challenge the race leader directly, without having to negotiate his way past Leclerc later in the stint.
It also marked another important change in the running order between the two Ferrari drivers after their controversial opening-lap confrontation earlier in the Grand Prix.
Hamilton challenges Max Verstappen through opening corners
After moving into second, Hamilton quickly closed on Verstappen as the two drivers negotiated the first sequence of corners.
The Ferrari and Red Bull ran extremely close together at Turn 1, with Hamilton pushing hard enough for his car to run slightly wide during the exchange.
Despite the pressure, Verstappen retained the lead, preventing the seven-time world champion from completing a second overtake immediately after the restart.
Hamilton nevertheless remained in close pursuit, demonstrating that Ferrari was still capable of challenging at the front despite the setbacks encountered during the earlier stages of the race.
The opening-corner battle also highlighted how little time the leading drivers had to establish their positions after the restart. Hamilton had already gained one place from his teammate and was immediately attempting to take another from Verstappen.
However, the Red Bull driver successfully maintained first position, leaving Hamilton to continue his pursuit rather than complete the move during the opening sequence.
Charles Leclerc locks up but retains third place
Behind the leading pair, Leclerc experienced a difficult restart of his own.
Having lost second position to Hamilton, the Monegasque suffered a substantial lock-up while negotiating the opening corners. Despite the moment, he managed to remain in third place.
The incident prevented Leclerc from immediately recovering the position lost to his teammate, although he avoided surrendering another place to the cars behind.
Antonelli remained fourth, keeping the Mercedes directly behind the two Ferrari drivers in the running order.
For Leclerc, the restart represented another change of circumstances in a race that had already featured considerable controversy.
The Ferrari driver had taken the lead from Hamilton during their opening-lap battle at Turn 4, but the manoeuvre subsequently resulted in a five-second penalty after the stewards determined that he had completed an overtake while off the track.
That sanction allowed Verstappen to emerge ahead during the first pit-stop sequence, while Hamilton later rejoined in an effective third position.
The red flag and revised restart order then brought the two Ferrari drivers back together, creating the opportunity for Hamilton to reverse their positions on track.
Lewis Hamilton closes to within one second of Verstappen
Hamilton’s challenge continued into the following lap, with the Ferrari driver remaining close behind Verstappen as they crossed the start-finish line to begin lap 48.
The gap between the two drivers was less than one second, putting Hamilton firmly within striking distance of the race leader at that stage.
The immediate question was whether the Ferrari could maintain that proximity over the following laps or whether Verstappen would be able to establish a more comfortable advantage once the field settled after the restart.
Although Hamilton had demonstrated strong pace during the opening exchange, the available running order did not establish how the relative performance of the Ferrari and Red Bull would develop over a longer sequence of laps.
Nevertheless, the British driver had successfully transformed his restart position into an opportunity to challenge for the lead, something that had appeared considerably more difficult following the earlier pit-stop sequence.
Ferrari’s Mexico GP battle takes another turn after red flag
The restart brought a fresh development to an already complicated afternoon for Ferrari.
Hamilton had started the Grand Prix from pole position before losing the lead to Leclerc on the opening lap, a confrontation that prompted several frustrated team radio messages and a stewards’ investigation.
With Leclerc subsequently penalised and Verstappen gaining the advantage during the first stops, Ferrari’s opportunity to convert its qualifying performance into victory had become increasingly uncertain.
However, the red flag and the restoration of Hamilton to third place gave the seven-time world champion another opportunity to fight at the front.
He immediately capitalised by overtaking Leclerc and pressuring Verstappen, while his teammate remained third despite the significant lock-up.
With 24 laps remaining at the start of lap 48, Ferrari once again had two drivers among the leading three, but their positions were now reversed compared with the earlier stages of the race.
Hamilton was the Scuderia’s leading challenger, running less than one second behind Verstappen, while Leclerc followed in third. The battle for victory remained open, with the Ferrari driver seeking to convert his aggressive restart into a sustained challenge for the lead.
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