FIA officials clarify Charles Leclerc’s five-second penalty during the F1 Mexico GP.

Leclerc did not relinquish the position by Turn 12, which was clearly outlined as a requirement in the drivers’ briefing – a failure that would have resulted in him losing two positions, as Verstappen would have overtaken Hamilton.

It remained uncertain if Leclerc could have stayed on the circuit; stewards suspected he could not, leading to the penalty – albeit a modest five seconds, considering the mitigating factors.

“The Stewards have concluded that both vehicles entered Turn 4 at excessive speed, and thus neither could have successfully navigated the corner on track, as evidenced by car 44, which was on the inside having to go off track to make the turn,” the stewards’ statement indicated.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

“Car 16 was therefore not entitled to claim the corner due to the excessive entry speed. The driver then executed an overtake while off track, which justifies a penalty.

“The standard penalty guideline is 10 seconds; however, mitigating factors include the fact that car 44 was also off track on the inside of car 16, and this incident occurred early in the opening lap.”

Leclerc’s ability to maintain the lead enabled him to create a five-second gap over Verstappen.

This decision from the stewards did not sit well with the seven-time world champion, who felt his teammate should face stiffer punishment.

“The problem is he's got clean air and doesn't have to manage like the rest of us. He should just give the position back,” Hamilton remarked. A few laps later, he reiterated: “The stewards are effectively gifting Charles this victory.”

Leclerc eventually lost the virtual lead to Verstappen when both drivers made their initial pit stops, with Red Bull promptly responding to the Ferrari team to avoid being undercut.

The race is currently under a red flag on lap 46 following Valtteri Bottas's crash, which appeared to be caused by a suspension failure. Verstappen leads ahead of Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli; Hamilton had pitted just before the safety car was deployed and fell to fourth place after the red flag.