Leclerc cites track layout after Mexico GP clash, Vasseur disputes blame

Charles Leclerc said the design of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez contributed to his first-lap collision with team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the Mexico Grand Prix, arguing that a barrier at the exit of Turn 4 would have prevented the incident. Leclerc, who started third, moved to the outside of Turn 1 and attempted an inside pass at the next corner, but both drivers braked too late, sending Leclerc onto the grass and allowing him to briefly take the lead before receiving a five-second penalty that dropped him to fourth place.

"We first need, probably, to change the tracks and make sure that there's no places where you can take those amounts of risk on the inside. If there was a wall at the exit of Turn 4, neither Lewis nor I would have pushed the braking point that much," Leclerc told reporters.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur acknowledged that the circuit’s layout made overtaking more difficult but rejected the notion that it absolved the team of responsibility for the lost win.

"The layout of the track is not helping, but it can't be an excuse at all. We made a step forward in performance, and being 1-2 at Turn 4, you would expect to win the race," Vasseur said.

Race officials confirmed that drivers who gain an advantage off-track at Turns 1-3 or 4-6 will face standard penalties, a rule applied to Leclerc’s incident. Max Verstappen ultimately won, with Hamilton finishing second and Kimi Antonelli third.