Leclerc says both drivers share blame after Mexico City incident

Charles Leclerc said the clash with Lewis Hamilton at Turn 4 of the Mexico City Grand Prix was a mutual mistake, with both drivers braking late and exceeding the corner's speed limits. He noted that the incident allowed Max Verstappen to overtake and eventually win the race after Leclerc served a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

"We are fighting for the win and so of course there’s going to be very little margin left from him and from me. At the end we both did a mistake going into Turn 4," Leclerc said.

Leclerc added that Hamilton’s frustration likely stemmed from the broader situation, including the penalty, rather than the specific maneuver. He said a discussion between the drivers is expected, but emphasized that the rules leave little room for interpretation.

"I think he was maybe more angry with the whole situation, how the situation was dealt in four, five with the penalty etc. So this is something we’ll talk about for sure," Leclerc said.

The stewards confirmed that both cars entered the corner at excessive speed, but ruled that Leclerc was not entitled to claim the corner after cutting the track. Hamilton had asked Leclerc to give back the position during the race, but Leclerc said he received no clear guidance from his team.

"Speaking with the team, I didn’t really have a clear feedback, and I think it was just confusing enough to keep the position," Leclerc explained.

Leclerc suggested that circuit design changes could reduce such incidents, noting that drivers had discussed the issue at the pre-race drivers’ briefing.

"I think the conclusion of everyone is that we first need probably to change the tracks and make sure there’s no places where you can take that amount of risk on the inside," he said.

The penalty and the incident have sparked debate about the consistency of rule enforcement across different circuits.