According to the official statement, the seven-time world champion was not punished for cutting the corner during his fight with Max Verstappen. However, the reason behind the penalty turned out to be something different — and the FIA later clarified it in detail.

The chaotic start triggered a chain reaction

The Mexican Grand Prix began in chaos, and everything unfolded in quick succession. When Charles Leclerc did not give the position back to Lewis Hamilton after cutting the corner, it left him vulnerable to an attack from Max Verstappen. The intense battle between Hamilton and the Red Bull driver then led the Ferrari number 44 to lock up his front tyres and cut across Turns 4 and 5 to rejoin the track. The British driver was visibly disappointed with the FIA stewards’ decision, and Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur also judged the 10-second penalty to be too harsh. However, the FIA explained that Hamilton was not penalized for leaving the track itself, but for another reason entirely. Here are the full details.

Ten-second penalty for gaining a lasting advantage

The stewards reviewed both the positional data and the onboard footage before reaching their conclusion. According to their report, “Car 44 (HAM) locked up under braking, left the track at Turn 4, and used the grass to rejoin in the direction of Turn 5. Since the driver was unable to follow the escape route marked by the yellow line due to excessive speed, it was determined that there was no breach of the race director’s notes. However, by leaving the track and cutting the corner, the driver gained a lasting advantage, overtaking Car 1 (VER) and failing to return the position afterwards. Therefore, the standard penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage is applied.”

This statement finally revealed the real reason behind the penalty. The FIA did not expect Lewis Hamilton to follow the designated escape route, but it did expect him to return the position to Max Verstappen after rejoining the track. The Ferrari team principal, Frédéric Vasseur, acknowledged that the stewards had little choice given the circumstances, though he still considered the ten-second sanction excessive.

Unfortunately, that’s how things unfolded. Perhaps Ferrari’s pit wall could have advised Lewis Hamilton to immediately hand the position back to Max Verstappen, which might have spared him the post-race penalty and a better finishing result in the Mexican Grand Prix.