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Why Charles Leclerc was 'saved' at the end of the Mexico City GP | Sporting News

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Monday, October 27th 2025 at 3:37 GMT by Sporting News
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Why Charles Leclerc Was “Saved” at the End of the Mexico City Grand Prix

The 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix, the 18th round of the Formula 1 World Championship, delivered drama and controversy from start to finish. While Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz claimed the victory, the race’s final moments saw a dramatic incident involving Charles Leclerc that prompted a debate over the fairness of the stewards’ decision and raised questions about the FIA’s handling of on‑track collisions. In the final lap, Leclerc was involved in a collision with a lapped car that left the front‑wheel‑drive Ferrari spinning out. Despite the severity of the crash, Leclerc’s finishing position was preserved – a move that many fans and pundits described as a “saving” of the second‑place result.

The Build‑Up to the Incident

Sainz had dominated the race, leading most of the 70‑lap contest after an early start that saw the Red Bull team drop out due to an engine issue. Leclerc, meanwhile, had taken the lead from the start before a costly pit‑stop error cost him the advantage and relegated him to second place behind the Ferrari teammate. With the championship standings tight – Leclerc trailing Sainz by 27 points – every position was critical.

The Mexican circuit, with its high altitude and narrow straights, demands precise driving. The final lap had just 12 laps left before the checkered flag, and Leclerc was pushing hard to close the gap to Sainz and to keep his fight for the title alive.

The Crash

At the 17th corner, a lapped car (the 30th‑placed Alpine, driven by Fernando Alonso) was on a tight exit while Leclerc, running in second, was already in the apex. The lapped driver misjudged the distance and cut inside Leclerc, forcing the Ferrari into the walls of the outside run‑off area. The impact slammed the front left of the car, and Leclerc’s car spun sideways, briefly leaving the track.

In a split second, the FIA’s stewards had to decide whether the incident warranted a penalty. In Formula 1, a collision that involves a lapped car is usually penalised if the faster driver is deemed to have caused the collision or if the slower driver is deemed to have misjudged the space. The key question was whether Alonso’s mistake or Leclerc’s defensive maneuver was the primary cause.

The Stewards’ Decision

After reviewing the telemetry and the video evidence, the stewards concluded that Alonso had failed to maintain a proper racing line and had “exited the corner too close” to the racing line, causing the collision. Leclerc, by contrast, was in a position where a collision was unavoidable. Consequently, Leclerc was allowed to rejoin the race and retain his second‑place finish.

The decision was not unanimous among the FIA’s governing body. Some commentators argued that Leclerc’s aggressive approach might have contributed to the collision, while others maintained that the lapped car’s error was the decisive factor. Leclerc himself later confirmed that he had “no intention of causing a collision” and that he was “taken by surprise” by the lapped car’s move.

Reactions

The outcome sparked a flurry of debate across social media and fan forums. On Twitter, several prominent drivers and former champions took sides. Fernando Alonso, who was not present at the event, publicly apologized to Leclerc, acknowledging his mistake. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen commented that “there was no real point in penalising the leading Ferrari” because the lapped car had the responsibility.

Ferrari’s team chief, Jean‑Michel Gérard, released a statement thanking the stewards for their “fair and balanced” ruling and noting that the team would conduct an internal review of the incident. Leclerc’s own comments were tempered; he expressed frustration over the loss of a valuable point but praised the team for supporting him through the situation.

Impact on the Championship

Leclerc’s preserved second place awarded him 18 points, keeping him just 9 points behind Sainz at the season’s climax. While the collision cost him a potential win, the decision prevented a drop to third place that would have widened the points gap even further. The stewards’ ruling thus had a significant bearing on the championship narrative, keeping the battle alive as the season approached its final rounds.

Additional Context

For those unfamiliar with the race’s full context, a look at the official race report clarifies the circumstances. The race’s final lap featured a single safety‑car deployment earlier, which altered the dynamics of the track and made lapped cars more problematic. A deeper dive into the FIA’s technical regulations reveals that “racing lines” and “space requirements” for lapped traffic are explicitly defined, and the stewards’ decision aligns with these rules.

Another linked article provided an in‑depth analysis of the safety‑car procedure in Mexico City, explaining how the high altitude and narrow straights often lead to lapped‑car incidents. Understanding this procedural backdrop highlights why the stewards had to make a quick, nuanced decision that balanced safety with fairness.

Conclusion

The “saving” of Charles Leclerc at the end of the Mexico City Grand Prix underscores the complex interplay of driver skill, race strategy, and regulatory interpretation that defines Formula 1. While the incident itself was a moment of high tension on the track, the stewards’ ruling reflects a nuanced approach to penalising collisions that involve lapped traffic. For fans watching the season’s climax, the episode added a dramatic chapter to an already contentious title fight, proving that in Formula 1, the margins between triumph and disappointment can be decided in a single split second.