Jolyon Palmer thinks he knows why Charles Leclerc avoided a ‘slam-dunk’ penalty against Lewis Hamilton

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The Mexican Grand Prix produced one of the most chaotic Formula 1 starts of the season as there was a four-wide battle for the lead into turn one.

In the end, it was Lando Norris who came out on top, but Max Verstappen spectacularly went off the track and nearly crashed, while Charles Leclerc claimed the lead of the race for a few seconds. The Ferrari driver would let the McLaren through, but not his teammate.

That’s despite being slightly behind Lewis Hamilton in turn one. Because there was so much chaos, it wasn’t a move that was very widely covered at the Mexican Grand Prix, but there’s an argument to suggest that the aftermath should have played out differently.

Hamilton snapped at Ferrari after being asked to lift and coast 18 times in Mexico, in a bid to save his floor from excessive plank wear. Ferrari have made up their mind on Hamilton, with paddock figures suggesting that he won’t be offered a new contract in 2026.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen proved he respects Charles Leclerc more than Lewis Hamilton with one Mexican GP move

Jolyon Palmer thinks Charles Leclerc off-track overtake on Lewis Hamilton was a ‘slam-dunk’ penalty

Hamilton’s debut Ferrari season hasn’t been as bad as it looks, according to the opinion of ex-Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez. With four events to go, it looks as though 2025 will end up being the first entire season in his career without a podium.

It’s hard to see the positives behind that, and Leclerc has been unhappy behind the scenes as well, since his team’s performance has dwindled over the last 12 months. Heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, they need to produce a big response.

Jolyon Palmer thinks that Leclerc was lucky to avoid a ‘slam-dunk’ penalty on lap one for going off the track and gaining an advantage on his teammate. The Monegasque driver didn’t give a position back to Hamilton after a turn one excursion, which could have transformed his race.

“Leclerc, from behind Hamilton, chooses to go off the road,” he said during his F1 TV Analysis. “He’s not forced off by Lewis. You can see the space that Lewis leaves on the exit, goes straight across.

“The safest thing to do at this point is to absolutely floor it, rejoin in the lead, and choose who you’re going to let past. Basically, be your own judge. As we play it through, Charles lets Lando go through, but does not let Lewis go through. It should be a penalty, it should be a slam-dunk.

“I can only assume the stewards saw five cars go through, absolute melee. The reality is here, Charles Leclerc overtook Lewis Hamilton off the track, and he should have a penalty for it.”

READ MORE: Karun Chandhok says Ferrari engineer ‘riled up’ Lewis Hamilton with unnecessary message at Mexican Grand Prix

How Lewis Hamilton ended up losing further time after Charles Leclerc snub

If Leclerc had let Hamilton back through, as he should have done by the letter of the law, he probably wouldn’t have ended up in a scuffle with Verstappen.

After Hamilton felt Verstappen pushed him wide, he was handed a 10-second time penalty for failing to follow the race director’s instructions (driving on a small tarmac strip before rejoining the track.

Arguably, Verstappen could have received a penalty for his hand in the matter, but he was let off after further investigation from the stewards.

If Leclerc had been the one fighting him instead, perhaps Hamilton would’ve ended up on the podium instead of his teammate. It could have transformed his race.