Stewards at the Mexico City Grand Prix handed out time penalties of 5 seconds to Charles Leclerc, 10 seconds each to George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto, and 30 seconds to Pierre Gasly. The penalties pushed both Alpines out of the points, and Piastri fell from seventh to 13th.
The penalties and the reasons
| Driver (team) | Penalty | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) | 5s | Lap 1 incident with Hamilton, going off track. Served at his lap 27 stop |
| George Russell (Mercedes) | 10s | Collision with Hadjar. Served at the end of lap 33, rejoined eighth |
| Oscar Piastri (McLaren) | 10s | Collision with Lindblad. Dropped to 13th |
| Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) | 10s | Collision with Bearman at Turn 4 |
| Franco Colapinto (Alpine) | 10s | Failing to slow under yellow flags |
| Pierre Gasly (Alpine) | 30s | Failing to slow under double yellows. Applied in lieu of a drive-through |
Why Leclerc got 5 seconds, not 10
According to Formula1.com, Leclerc's 5-second penalty was for leaving the track on the opening lap. The same report says a 10-second penalty was not applied by the stewards because both drivers had gone off track. Hamilton said over the radio that "the stewards are basically handing Charles this win". The Race also ran a piece headlined that Hamilton demanded "serious talks" after the latest Leclerc incident, but its text could not be read, so nothing from it is reported here. Leclerc finished fourth, 10.707s behind the winner with the penalty applied.
Alpine lost all its points
The Race wrote that the double penalty cost Alpine all of its Mexican GP points. In PlanetF1's table, which appears to be a pre-penalty snapshot, Colapinto was eighth and Gasly 10th. In the final result they are 15th and 17th. Piastri was seventh, right behind Russell, in the same PlanetF1 table, but is 13th in the final result, and The Race says he lost his points finish.
No action and a fine
Verstappen was investigated for a possible out-of-position start, but the matter was dismissed. A possible pit-exit light infringement by Gasly ended with no further action because of limited reaction time. The Race headlined a fine for Mercedes because Russell did not attend post-race media duties, but the amount and the regulation cited could not be confirmed.
The classification here is the one with penalties applied, so positions from sixth down differ from provisional tables such as PlanetF1's. Check whether penalties are included before copying any result.