P1racenews AI automatic summary:
“The reality is here, Charles Leclerc overtook Lewis Hamilton off the track, and he should have a penalty for it.”
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer thinks Charles Leclerc was lucky to avoid a clear penalty at the Mexico City Grand Prix when he cut across corners with several other drivers. Despite giving up the lead to let Lando Norris back through, Leclerc managed to stay ahead of his Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton. The stewards did not penalize Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and Liam Lawson for their track-cutting, but it didn’t sit well with some fellow drivers like George Russell and Fernando Alonso. Palmer believes Leclerc’s move to go off track on his own accord, overtaking Hamilton in the process, should have warranted a penalty. Despite the controversy, Leclerc secured his seventh podium finish of the year, finishing second behind dominant winner Lando Norris. Hamilton, on the other hand, is yet to secure a top-three finish in a GP in 2025. Verstappen posed a threat to Leclerc towards the end of the race thanks to a strong stint on soft tires, but his bid was halted by a Virtual Safety Car due to Sainz’s Williams coming to a stop.
