Stewards warn drivers: cut Turn 1 in Mexico and give the place back or face a penalty
Ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, the FIA stewards sent all teams a clarification of the driving standards guidelines. On lap one and the first lap after a restart, a driver who runs off in the first six corners and keeps the place risks a penalty unless he gives it back in time.
A warning before the lights go out
The opening corners of the Mexico City Grand Prix are famous for tight packs, long slipstreams and drivers running wide. This year the stewards decided to spell out how they will judge it. On Saturday they issued a "clarification of application of Driving Standards Guidelines" to all drivers and teams, as reported by Crash.net and PlanetF1, and PlanetF1 said they will not be lenient on first-lap incidents.
What the clarification says
It applies on lap one and on the first lap after any restart, in Turns 1 to 3 and Turns 4 to 6. In those zones, every car is treated as both attacking and defending by default. A driver who leaves the track and keeps a position over cars close behind can be judged to have gained a lasting advantage, depending on the stewards' assessment.
There is a way out. According to the reports, the offence does not stand if the position is handed back by Turn 4 when the car left the track in Turns 1 to 3, or by Turn 12 when it left in Turns 4 to 6. The articles do not state how severe a penalty would be.
Why Mexico, and why now
Crash.net links the move to last year's race, when Charles Leclerc and George Russell both cut Turn 1 on the opening lap and neither was penalised, although such a move would normally be expected to draw one. PlanetF1 recalls the same start: Lando Norris led from pole, Leclerc ran wide and briefly took the lead before lifting into Turn 4 to let Norris back through, while Max Verstappen also ran wide and rejoined without a penalty.
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has the longest run from the grid to the first corner on the calendar, according to PlanetF1, which makes slipstreaming into Turn 1 a major factor.
By the numbers
This year's front row is tight enough to make the start a flashpoint. In our data, Lewis Hamilton took pole in 1:16.514, just 0.009 s ahead of George Russell. Leclerc starts third, 0.119 s off the pace. Hamilton said he would concentrate on a strong launch and on braking points, while Leclerc expected Turn 1 to be an exciting corner.
The race starts at 20:00 UTC (21:00 in Vienna) on Sunday. The first test of the clarification comes within a few hundred metres of the lights going out.
