Charles Leclerc accepts five-second penalty after battle with Lewis Hamilton in Mexico
The Ferrari driver admitted the punishment was fair after he overtook his teammate while running wide at Turn 4.
Charles Leclerc conceded that his five-second penalty for overtaking teammate Lewis Hamilton off track during the Mexico City Grand Prix was justified, according to The Hawk. The incident occurred at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday during an opening-lap battle for the lead.
Both Ferrari drivers ran wide at Turn 4, but Leclerc stayed ahead after cutting across the grass. The stewards issued a five-second sanction instead of a 10-second penalty, citing that Hamilton also went off track and the incident happened on the opening lap.
Leclerc finished fourth in the race, while Hamilton secured second place behind winner Max Verstappen. Leclerc said the penalty was deserved and explained that he decided to keep the position after seeing Max Verstappen move past Hamilton.
Hamilton expressed frustration over team radio and suggested the incident cost the team a potential one-two finish, calling for discussions within Ferrari. Leclerc noted that he could have been unhappy with how Hamilton pushed him off track at Turn 1, but called it racing.
Ferrari currently holds a 124-point advantage over Red Bull for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. The team will look to resolve the matter internally before the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil on November 6-8.