Laurent Mekies: Charles Leclerc’s penalty “felt a bit light”

Ferrari’s divisive opening lap at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez provided the ultimate gift to their rivals. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton's desperate wheel-to-wheel clash at Turn 4 fundamentally altered the trajectory of the Mexico City Grand Prix, but the subsequent ruling from the FIA stewards left some on the pitwall severely underwhelmed.

Watching the scarlet cars run completely off the track immediately triggered alarms for team principal Laurent Mekies. The French executive closely monitored the lap 1 chaos, instantly recognising that a sporting sanction was inevitable for the Monegasque driver leaving the asphalt and gaining a lasting advantage.