Mekies says Leclerc's five-second penalty in Mexico City "felt a bit light"

Ferrari team principal Laurent Mekies said the five-second time penalty handed to Charles Leclerc after his lap 1 clash with Lewis Hamilton at Turn 4 in Mexico City felt light. He said the team expected a penalty immediately, but the decision took longer to confirm and, by then, Leclerc was already clear of Hamilton.

Mekies said the team's strategy group and pitwall covered Leclerc's pit stop by bringing their own car in at the same time, denying Ferrari a clean-air undercut. He praised the execution and described it as an extremely strong performance.

Race winner Max Verstappen was credited with keeping Hamilton and Leclerc behind during the opening stint.