CHARLES LECLERC BLAMES MEXICO GP CLASH ON TRACK LAYOUT - FRED VASSEUR DISAGREES

Ferrari threw away a guaranteed 1-2 in Mexico when Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton tangled on the opening lap, handing Max Verstappen the win. Leclerc started third, jumped George Russell, then tried a double-move on Hamilton — first at Turn 1, then the outside of Turn 4. Both out-braked themselves. Leclerc ran wide onto the grass, cut Turn 5, and took the lead while Verstappen slipped past Hamilton. Stewards handed Leclerc a five-second penalty that dropped him to fourth.

Leclerc blamed the track afterward, arguing that "a wall at the exit of Turn 4" would've prevented the mess — a nod to the yearly Turn 1 chaos in Mexico City. Team boss Fred Vasseur wasn't buying it. "The layout isn't helping, but it can't be an excuse," he said, frustrated that 2,000 Ferrari employees watched a sure win evaporate. For Hamilton, runner-up in his first Mexico start for the Scuderia, it's another podium sacrificed to friendly fire.