Laurent Mekies: Charles Leclerc’s penalty “seemed somewhat lenient”
Ferrari’s controversial start at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez presented a significant opportunity for their competitors. The intense wheel-to-wheel confrontation between Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at Turn 4 dramatically changed the course of the Mexico City Grand Prix, but the following decision from the FIA stewards left some on the pitwall feeling quite disappointed.
As the red cars veered completely off the track, alarms went off for team principal Laurent Mekies. The French executive closely watched the chaos of lap 1, immediately recognizing that a sporting penalty for the Monegasque driver, who had gained a considerable advantage by leaving the racing surface, was unavoidable.
"The first thing that crosses your mind is that there should be a penalty," Mekies expressed during his post-race press obligations. "That's the first thought that comes to you as a competitor at that moment."
A five-second penalty
Race control eventually imposed a five-second time penalty on the Ferrari driver, but the delayed announcement of the ruling significantly reduced its effect on the order of the race. With Leclerc already having established a substantial gap over his teammate due to clean air, the impact of the time deduction was mitigated.
"We were definitely a bit taken aback by how long it took to confirm the penalty," Mekies acknowledged, pointing out the notable issue with the FIA's delayed decision. "We were also surprised that it was only five seconds since, by the time they issued that penalty, Charles was already about five seconds clear of Lewis anyway."
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
The team principal expressed his dissatisfaction with the regulatory leniency, stating that the punishment "felt a bit light," but he also conceded that "it is what it is."
The perfect cover
Instead of depending solely on the stewards to mitigate the Ferrari threat, the strategy team took proactive steps. When Leclerc made a pit stop for new tires, Mekies and his crew executed a flawless covering strategy, bringing their own car in at the same time to prevent the Maranello squad from gaining any clean-air undercut advantage.
"It was once again an exceptionally strong execution," Mekies commended. "The usual suspects in the strategy group and on the pitwall devised that plan when we learned Charles was coming in, and it was the best option we had considering the gap to him with the penalty, and it paid off."
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
This tactical brilliance, combined with a strong defensive performance by race winner Max Verstappen, ultimately kept the Ferraris at bay. Mekies specifically noted Verstappen’s precise driving during the early stages, asserting that he did "undoubtedly a very good job at keeping Lewis and Charles behind him while they were racing."
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