Hamilton Loses Podium After 10-Second Penalty

Lewis Hamilton received a 10-second time penalty at the Mexico City Grand Prix after locking up and cutting Turn 4 — leaving the track and rejoining ahead of Max Verstappen — a sanction applied during his pit stop that dropped him from third on the road to an eventual eighth-place finish, costing what would have been his first Ferrari podium. The stewards said Hamilton gained a lasting advantage and ruled that the earlier Turn 1 contact with Verstappen was a racing incident but that Hamilton failed to give the position back after rejoining, which prompted the penalty. Hamilton and Ferrari questioned stewarding consistency, noting several other drivers, including Charles Leclerc and Verstappen, had run off at Turn 1 without punishment; Hamilton called the decision “pretty nuts.” Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur described the 10-second penalty as harsh. Hamilton said he enjoyed the on-track combat and will keep pushing despite the setback, and he did not receive penalty points on his FIA superlicence.