Ferrari call out ‘not very well managed’ Hamilton penalty in Mexico City

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has questioned the severity of Lewis Hamilton’s penalty after the Briton was handed a 10-second penalty for his actions as he battled Max Verstappen.

Lining up third on the Mexico City Grand Prix grid, Hamilton vowed to be aggressive as he chased a debut podium in Ferrari colours. It didn’t work in his favour.

Lewis Hamilton penalised in Mexico: The breakdown

⦁ Hamilton’s run without a Ferrari podium since joining extends to 20 GPs – a new record
⦁ Ferrari team principal calls out stewards in ‘not very well managed’ penalty
⦁ Vasseur lands ‘football’ jab as Verstappen avoids punishments

Hamilton secured a season’s best third place on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez grid, finishing qualifying behind Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.

It was, according to his Ferrari teammate Leclerc, the position to start the race given the long 830 metre run to Turn 1.

So much so, Leclerc said after qualifying: “I wish I was P3 for the start because at least you have a little bit of a slipstream.”

Hamilton, however, wasn’t able to capitalise and slotted in behind Norris and Leclerc on the opening lap, with Verstappen in fourth.

As expected, the 2021 title rivals were at it as they went wheel-to-wheel with both off the track on Lap 6 in the first complex and again at Turn 4.

While Verstappen escaped punishment for his actions during their battle, Hamilton was given a costly 10-second penalty.

It meant the Briton eventually finished the grand prix down in eighth place, 25 seconds off the podium.

It extended the seven-time World Champion’s unwanted record as a Ferrari driver to 20 races without a podium. The most for any new Ferrari driver.

More on Lewis Hamilton’s performance at the Mexico City Grand Prix

👉 Mexican GP conclusions: Big Norris chance, Verstappen illusion, new Hamilton document incoming

👉 Mexico City Grand Prix driver ratings: Norris leads perfect 10s; Sainz sorrow

Ferrari team boss called out ‘not very well managed’ penalty

But while Hamilton was left to rue yet another race without a champagne celebration, his team principal Vasseur was firmly in his court over his penalty.

Hamilton was handed the 10-second penalty for running off the track at Turn 4 during his battle with Verstappen and taking to the run-off at Turn 4 before rejoining via the chute at Turn 6.

The Briton argued that Verstappen had pushed him wide, however, the stewards didn’t agree and gave him a 10-second penalty.

“That’s such **** man,” Hamilton said when informed of the 10-second penalty. “The grip is so small there. The grip there is so low.”

Hamilton served the penalty during his pit stop, the driver sitting stationary for 10 seconds before his mechanics could touch the car to change his tyres.

Vasseur claimed the penalty cost Hamilton P4.

“This cost us P4… One thing is the penalty, for sure, that we didn’t follow the race director’s notes,” he told the media in Mexico City.

“But 10 seconds, I don’t remember when someone took 10 seconds.

“If you consider, if you have the global picture, saying that Max cut the corner before, he cut the chicane, in the grass, 100 metres. I think it’s not very well managed, honestly.

“Because you are in Mexico, on top of this, I don’t say that you have to adapt the penalty to the track, but you have to understand what you are doing.

“He took the 10 seconds. This dropped us at the queue of the group and we can’t overtake.

“It’s after the pitstop that you have no issue to recover. This cost us, probably P4, even with the five seconds, I think we were still P4. But with 10 seconds…”

The 10s penalty for Lewis Hamilton was 100% by the rule book.

He outbraked himself, cut the corner, gained a lasting advantage, and didn’t give the place back to Max Verstappen.

Hate the rule book, not the players. pic.twitter.com/5lSkEiSH9j

— MV33Racing🏎 (@MV33Racing) October 26, 2025

But while Ferrari believed Hamilton’s penalty was for failing to rejoin the track as directed by the Race Directors’ notes, in their summary of the incident the stewards noted that they’d applied the standard penalty for drivers who leave the track and gain a lasting advantage.

The official statement from the stewards noted, “Car 44 (HAM) locked brakes, left the track at Turn 4 and used the grass area while rejoining in the direction of Turn 5. As the driver was unable to follow the route prescribed by the Race Director along the ‘yellow line’ due to an excess of speed, no breach of the Race Director’s Notes is deemed to have occurred.

“However, by leaving the track and cutting the corner, the driver gained a lasting advantage, overtaking Car 1 (VER) and failing to give back the position thereafter. The standard penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage is therefore imposed.”

Fred Vasseur not a ‘football coach’ in Verstappen questions

In a race that saw many incidents but few penalties, Vasseur was questioned on why Verstappen wasn’t given one for his antics.

Earlier in the race, Verstappen had cut the track just before Hamilton’s offence while he also cut Turn 1 on the opening lap of the grand prix.

Verstappen wasn’t penalised for either incident.

Quizzed on that by Canal+, Vasseur quipped: “I am not going to play the football coach and complain about everyone.”

But he maintained that made Hamilton’s penalty even more severe, “10 seconds is harsh, we can consider that he did not take the small way back to the track, but he also lost the car, 10 seconds is very harsh.”

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